The Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs presents the Latvian Presidency priorities to the International Trade Committee in the European Parliament

Today, on 21 January, in Brussels, the Latvian Foreign Ministry’s Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica took part in the meeting of European Parliament Committee on International Trade to present the priorities of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In presentation Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica focused on EU bilateral trade agreements including the negotiations on free trade agreements with the United States, Japan, and Vietnam. Priority for the Presidency is implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Also need for progress in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha Development Agenda programme, and the continuation of the WTO enlargement was noted.

The main topic discussed was Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), including provisions for Investor-to-State Dispute Settlement. Importance of transparency in negotiations and right communication strategies to secure well informed and fact based public debate on the agreement were particularly emphasised. Other questions were related to ongoing trade negotiations with Japan, conclusion of the negotiations with Vietnam, trade relations with Russia as well as ensuring efficient implementation of the EU's generalised system of preferences.

Special attention was paid to the main legislative issues, which fall under the responsibility of INTA Committee, namely, the proposal to set up a union system for self-certification of responsible importers of minerals from conflict areas and amendments to the regulation that forbids the trade of certain goods which could be used for the death penalty, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.