During the meeting, the Commission representative provided information about the implementation of the project on labour standards delivered in cooperation with the ILO in El Salvador and Guatemala. The Commission also informed about preparations for meetings with Central America planned for 15-17 June in Honduras, in particular meeting of the intergovernmental Board on Trade and Sustainable Development. The EU Advisory Group then discussed preparations for the civil society meetings with Central America, which this year will include a workshop on market access, a joint meeting of the Advisory Groups and an open Civil Society Dialogue Forum. In the afternoon, a video-conference with Central American partners took place to discuss preparations for joint meetings.
Mednarodna trgovina
Mednarodno trgovino ureja kompleksna mešanica globalnih pravil, dogovorjenih v okviru Svetovne trgovinske organizacije ter dvostranskih in večstranskih sporazumov. Sporazumi o prosti trgovini vse bolj vplivajo na pravice državljanov. V skladu z Lizbonsko pogodbo je treba trgovinsko politiko EU izvajati v skladu z načeli in cilji zunanjega delovanja Unije, ki vključujejo spodbujanje pravne države, človekovih pravic in trajnostnega razvoja.
Po našem mnenju bi moral biti ta trend vodilno načelo trgovinskih pogajanj in odnosov EU. Člani EESO z usklajevanjem stališč in mnenj podjetij, delavcev, strokovnjakov, kmetov, potrošnikov in drugih pomembnih deležnikov prispevamo dejansko dodano vrednost. Tako lahko med pogajanji o trgovinskih sporazumih in pri njihovem izvajanju mednarodnim oblikovalce politike učinkovito seznanjamo s stališči civilne družbe in interesnih skupin. Ustanovili smo spremljevalni odbor za mednarodno trgovino, ki bo zagotavljal sodelovanje civilne družbe pri oblikovanju trgovinske politike EU. Upravljamo tudi notranje svetovalne skupine, ustanovljene v skladu s poglavjem o trgovini in trajnostnem razvoju v novi generaciji trgovinskih sporazumov EU. Te skupine, sestavljene iz predstavnikov civilne družbe (iz EESO in zunaj njega), so odgovorne za opredeljevanje težav, povezanih s trgovino in trajnostnim razvojem, pri izvajanju trgovinskega sporazuma.
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This public hearing will discuss the current state of multilateral trade negotiations on agriculture. After the Nairobi agreement of export competition, some progress could be made on the areas of market access (tariffs and quotas) and, to some extent, on domestic support.
During the meeting, the EU DAG had an opportunity to discuss with Mr. Helmut Scholz, Member of the European Parliament, implementation of the Trade and Sustainable Development Title and work of the civil society monitoring mechanism in the framework of the EU-Colombia and Peru Trade Agreement. Moreover, the representatives of the European External Action Service (EEAS) presented information about the EU relations and cooperation with Colombia and Peru. Based on the Second Annual Report, the Commission representative provided information about the implementation of the Trade Agreement, changes in trade flows and work of joint bodies. He also informed about the procedures and timeline related to Ecuador's accession to the Agreement.
The Consultative Committee (CC) is one of the 5 institutions foreseen in the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement. The CC is composed of 40 (25 from the CARIFORM side and 15 from the EU side) standing representatives of organisations of the civil society representing employers' organisations, trade unions, other economic, social and non-governmental organisations, including development and environmental organisations; and the academic community.
The hearing will gather representatives of international organisations, national governments, private sector, trade unions and other stakeholders. The participants will discuss matters related to decent work in global supply chains thus contributing to work on the EESC Opinion on the same subject.
During the meeting, the representative of the European External Action Service (EEAS) presented information about the EU relations and cooperation with Central America. Based on the Second Annual Report, the Commission representative provided information about the implementation of the trade pillar of the Association Agreement, changes in trade flows and work of joint bodies established by the Agreement. The EU Advisory Group discussed also preparations for the next meeting with Central America under the Trade and Sustainable Development Title, as well as the ways to better communicate its activities to the Central American partners and other relevant stakeholders.
The External Relations Section (REX) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is responsible for dialogue between European civil society organisations and their homologues from the countries with which the European Union has formal relations (e.g. under the form of a Free Trade Agreement). Through this dialogue, made possible by a series of bilateral bodies, and through specialized opinions and information reports, the Committee is able to concretely contribute to EU foreign policy.
EESC Employers’ Group priorities
The 1st European Civil Society Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) took place as a hybrid meeting on 29 March 2022.
This report and its recommendations reflect the discussions and different speakers’ view.
This handbook aims to present the EU Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) in their mission, their composition, the organisation of their work and their relations with stakeholders. It provides the necessary information for any new DAG member and for third countries' partners who request information on DAGs. It also compiles a list of horizontal issues to facilitate coordination across DAGs.