Lawmakers from the European Free Trade Association met with the European Union Trade Commissioner to discuss the two blocs’ priorities in the area of free trade.
EFTA’s Parliamentary Committee met with Commissioner Cecilia Malmström on February 23, in one of a series of meetings with high-level personnel. They discussed the Commission’s new trade strategy, “Trade for All,” which aims to make the EU’s trade policy more effective at delivering new economic opportunities, and more transparent, in terms of opening up negotiations to more public scrutiny. Instead of focusing on the EU’s interest, trade policies will uphold the EU’s values.
Participants discussed the ongoing negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and investor-to-state dispute settlement, which has been high on the political agenda in Europe lately.
The Committee also met with several Members of the European Parliament, including Viviane Reding MEP, the rapporteur for the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). Meeting with Christofer Fjellner MEP, members of the Committee learned more about how the European Parliament engages in international trade agreement negotiations.
The EFTA states are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
