Ceci est une version HTML d'une pièce jointe de la demande d'accès à l'information 'MAAC and other market access issues'.



Ref. Ares(2017)1503316 - 20/03/2017
Ref. Ares(2017)2872363 - 08/06/2017
From: 
[Art 4.1(b)]
 (TRADE) 
Sent: 
09 November 2016 18:27 
To: 
[Art 4.1(b)]
 (TRADE);  [Art 4.1(b)]
 (TRADE); 
[Art 4.1(b)]  (TRADE); [Art 4.1(b)]  (TRADE); [Art 4.1(b)]
(TRADE); [Art 4.1(b)]  (TRADE);  [Art 4.1(b)] (TRADE) 
Cc: 
RATSO Signe (TRADE);  [Art 4.1(b)]  (TRADE) 
Subject: 
Meeting with Business Europe on FTA implementation 
I attended today a meeting of Business Europe's FTA working group to debrief them on FTA 
implementation
 had 
[Art 4.1(b)]
passed on his invitation to me). I explained the implementation structures in 
the new generation FTAs, how we plan to focus more on the preparatory phase in the future, need to 
engage more with stakeholders, including business and MS, importance of outreach activities in 
particular in the MS by the MS etc. 
The following comments and questions were made: 
• Information in general is available, but more details in particular on advantages of FTAs is
missing (this same point was raised also in MAAC/comments to the questionnaire)
• How will the implementation work be organised resource wise? DG Trade resources already
stretched, for example sectoral WGs in MAAC context are organised too seldom (this point was
also raised in MAAC/comments to the questionnaire)
• National authorities do not have the capacity to respond to business enquiries about FTAs. In
general it seems that there is a disconnect with MS selling or rather not selling the FTA to their
constituencies. They are too passive and just refer the matter to COM – "this is for the
Commission, not for us". It is also their job to inform businesses on the FTAs, how to use then
and what benefits they bring.
• Business needs sector specific information. Textile industry working together with DG GROW on
information for textile industry on benefits of FTAs. (this same point was raised also in
MAAC/comments to the questionnaire)
• Trade Ministries are not necessarily the right counterparts to disseminate information on FTAs to
businesses, export promotion agencies can do this better, this is part of their normal operations.
There can also be other national actors that are in a good position to do this.
• There is already now a shortage in addressing MA barriers, and focussing work on FTA
implementation risks making the situation even worse. Would a solution be to try to include and
solve as many MA barriers as possible already in the FTA negotiations, include them in the
negotiations, so that they will automatically be part of the FTA implementation?
In general they were very positive on the increased focus on the FTA implementation, and there was a 
clear recognition of the importance of outreach to "sell" the FTAs to the public. They also supported the 
view that MS should do more, COM cannot cover the whole ground. 
Regards, 
[Art 4.1(b)]
[Art 4.1(b)]
 


European Commission 
DG Trade 
Asia and Latin America 
[Art 4.1(b)]
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium 
+32 [Art 4.1(b)]
[Art 4.1(b)]
@ec.europa.eu