State Secretary Udo Philipp attends informal meeting of EU trade ministers in Marseille

At the invitation of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, EU trade ministers are meeting in Marseille, France today to discuss current challenges in the field of trade policy. The Federal Government is being represented at the meeting by State Secretary Udo Philipp from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The agenda will focus on EU trade and investment relations with Africa, the outlook for cooperation between Europe and the U.S. and the current situation between Lithuania and China. On the eve of the meeting, the ministers joined WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for dinner to discuss the future of the WTO and the next steps in the preparation of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference.

State Secretary Philipp said: “The agenda of the trade ministers’ meeting contains a number of important and challenging issues. The modernisation and intensification of trade and investment relations with Africa is a key priority, both for the Federal Government and the EU. I believe it is important to continue the implementation of economic partnership agreements and to promote sustainable, high-quality infrastructure projects in Africa. In this way, we can also help create a counterweight to China’s increasing influence in Africa.”

In terms of EU-U.S. relations, there have been many positive signals for transatlantic cooperation since President Biden took office. In the words of State Secretary Philipp, “The U.S. remains our foremost partner when it comes to pursuing common goals in trade policy. This is particularly true with regard to future digital trends, but also in terms of WTO reform. We should use the joint EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council (TTC) to deepen our dialogue and strive for tangible results fast.”

Finally, the trade ministers will talk about the current economic blockades imposed by China on Lithuania. On 27 January 2022, the EU submitted a request to the WTO for an initiation of a dispute settlement procedure.