Minister Grlić Radman Chairs Video-Conference of the Informal Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in the Trade Format

On 16 April 2020, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman chaired a video-conference of the informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in the trade format. The major topic of the meeting was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and international trade system.

The Ministers agreed that maintenance of open trade flows and unimpeded functioning of the global value chains and supply chains are major challenges. Considering the nature of the pandemic, special emphasis in the debate was placed on ensuring cross-border flow of vital medical supplies and equipment, critical agricultural products and other necessary goods and services, both within the EU and outside the EU borders.

Measures for the issue of export authorisations for personal protective equipment, introduced by the EU on 15 March, were also discussed at the meeting. Countries of the Western Balkans will be exempt from the procedure of obtaining the export authorisation for personal protective equipment. Minister Grlić Radman highlighted that Croatia was a strong advocate of this decision and that countries of the Western Balkans enjoy Croatia's support in their further efforts to fight the pandemic and can count on the necessary assistance.

The Ministers also touched upon the guidance of the European Commission on compliance with the Foreign Direct Investments Screening Regulation. There is a broad understanding that the EU cannot allow the doors to foreign investments being closed. The objective is to avoid the loss of property and technology that are crucial for our security and economy. Therefore, the Ministers agreed that it is important to improve cooperation and coordinate actions.

“During the recovery from this crisis, the international trade system based on the rules of the World Trade Organization will be more important than ever,” concluded Minister Grlić Radman and added that an efficient fight against the pandemic requires a joint global response.