Working Group on intra-ACP trade

Working Party on intra-ACP trade

establishment trade

Expert Group Meeting on Intraregional Trade in Rice and Cereals and Harmonization of National Plans

Electronic Commerce and Consumers Working Group [ Consumers and Electronic Working Group ]

[29] European Community – ACP Group of States Intra-ACP Strategy Papers and Multiannual Indicative Programme

[29] European Community – ACP Group of States Intra-ACP Strategy Papers and Multiannual Indicative Programme

Welcomes, in particular, the HLWG’s recommendation that the EU and the US address the environment and labour aspects of trade and sustainable development; considers that the experience of previous EU trade agreements and the long-lasting EU-US commitments should be taken into account in order to strengthen the development and enforcement of labour and environmental laws and policies and promote the core standards and benchmarks laid down by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), as well as decent jobs and sustainable development; encourages the harmonisation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards; recognises that ach ...[+++]ieving common standards is likely to present both technical and political challenges, and emphasises that the common goal should be to ensure that there is no diminution of environmental ambitions;

whereas the bipartisan letters sent to the US President by US Senators and by Members of the US House of Representatives, as well as the letter by four Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, including its Chairman, urged the HLWG to quickly formulate ambitious proposals to stimulate trade and investment between EU and US, and to remove unnecessary barriers to transatlantic trade and investment; whereas both letters emphasise a need to make increased trade and investment with the EU a priority, and spec ...[+++]ifically support efforts to address regulatory barriers (and, to achieve closer cooperation between regulators, non-tariff barriers), the reduction of tariffs to zero where possible, the trade in services, investment, and the further opening up of our public procurement markets to each other;