On behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, Undersecretary Maria Tripodi participated in the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) held in Brussels, the first under the new Belgian Presidency.
The agenda included the preparation of the 13th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi at the end of February (MC13) and a discussion on the situation in the Red Sea. The legislative dossiers and the trade negotiations on the agenda – to be dealt with by the end of the current European legislature – were also discussed with the President of the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament, Bernd Lange.
Undersecretary Tripodi expressed the hope that the Ministerial Conference would contribute to the reform of the WTO – and of the dispute settlement system, in particular – and would be useful to strengthen the WTO’s contribution to facing global challenges such as food insecurity, the State’s role in the economy, the climate crisis, and truly inclusive development. In this regard, Undersecretary Tripodi recalled that the first virtual meeting of the G7 Trade Ministers in early February, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tajani, would focus on the preparation of the MC13 to promote its success with a realistic and meaningful negotiating package.
Undersecretary Tripodi expressed the Italian government’s concern over the situation in the Red Sea and highlighted Italy’s diplomatic action to restore the security of trade routes.
In a meeting with the President of the INTA Commission, the Undersecretary finally reaffirmed Italy’s support for the conclusion of the ongoing EU trade negotiations and for finding a compromise with the European Parliament on the new regulation on generalised preferences in favour of developing countries, while ensuring the necessary safeguards for the European industrial sectors concerned.
