Week of strategy and action against European FTAs
Since the end of the 90s, the European Union has pursued a multi-dimensional strategy for its trade agenda: while pursuing multilateral negotiations, the EU has also pushed for the negotiation of bi-lateral/bi-regional agreements (covert FTAs under the name of Association Agreements and Economic Partnership Agreements-EPAs) with specific countries (Mexico, Chile South Africa) and regions in Latin America and Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) countries.
However, by 2006, the EU decided to launch the most aggressive trade and investment agenda so far and identified free trade agreements as the main framework to achieve the sweeping levels of liberalisation. This strategy is elaborated in detail in the EC Communication Global Europe: Competing in the World. This new far-reaching, TNC-serving European strategy, marks a new phase in EU trade policy. The EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson has expressed it more clearly than anyone: the agenda of the EU at home and abroad aims at “Getting rid of all barriers that hinder the operations of companies and making sure all regulations are minimally trade distorting”. Furthermore, commenting on the external aspects of competitiveness, Mandelson also says “we mean ensuring that competitive European companies, supported by the right internal policies, must be enabled to gain access to, and to operate securely in world markets. That is our agenda”.
Since then, the EU has launched (and moved at dramatic speed) or is in process of launching negotiations with: the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Central America Region, Andean Community of Nations (CAN), South Korea and India. Also, the MERCOSUR region (where the EU-MERCOSUR FTA has been stalled for some time), the Euro-Med Free Trade Zone and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as well as the creation of a Free Trade Area with the US and Canada have been identified as key targets. Throughout 2007, the Commission has pursued a strong arm mode of negotiation on the EPAs with ACP countries.
