Europeiska ekonomiska och sociala kommittén
The EU-Chile Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held its sixth preparatory meeting in the new mandate on 7 December 2020, one week after the successful visit of Foreign Affairs Minister Andrés Allamand Zavalala in Brussels.
This is the 3rd Joint Meeting of the Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) under the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The meeting will be the opportunity for the EU DAG to introduce its new Members and the newly elected chair, Ms Stephanie Ghislain, Eurogroup for Animals, and hear from the Canadian counterparts on the latest developments since the September 2020 meeting. Among the topics to be discussed, the TSD review and enforcement, the impact of COVID-19 on trade and CETA DAGs, more specifically 'supply chains', CETA trade and the impact on climate change. Members will also identify joint priorities (2020-2023).
During the meeting, the EU DAG elected its presidency for the 2020-2023 mandate. It discussed the progress of the implementation of the EU-Korea FTA, the ongoing dispute settlement procedure, initiatives in the environmental area, and exchanged views on its work programme for the new mandate.
The Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions aims at promoting greater understanding of the main issues affecting organised civil society in the Euromed region and at discussing the common challenges they face.
The 9th meeting of the EU-DAG under CETA is the first meeting to take place under the new Mandate 2020 -2022. Members proceeded to appoint the new President and Vice-Presidents. DG Trade made a presentation on EU-Canada trade relationship, the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Chapter review, the impact of Covid on current EU-Canada Trade and the upcoming Civil society Forum and sub-committee on TSD. Members of the EU DAG exchanged views on a new work programme and priorities and discussed preparations for the upcoming Joint meeting of the EU-Canada DAGs (DAG-to-DAG) on 7 December 2020.
The EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) envisages that DAG members of each Party will meet together at a Civil Society Forum to conduct a dialogue encompassing sustainable development aspects of trade relations between the Parties. The Civil Society Forum meets once a year unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, with the venue alternating between Brussels and Singapore.
A DAG-to-DAG is a joint civil society body between the partner countries of a Free Trade Agreement, bringing together the separate DAGs of each party. This is the 1st joint meeting of the EU and Singapore DAGs under the EU-Singapore FTA.
In this first workshop that gathers together the members of the EU DAG and Singapore DAG the focus will be on the consultation of civil society in the context of policy and legislation development and implementation, including in the context of trade policy, trade agreements and Trade and Sustainable Development chapters.
During the meeting on 18 November 2020 the EU DAG members will discuss the work programme for the first mandate, agree on the working methods as well as elect the chair and two vice-chairs.
The 6th meeting of the EU-Central America joint meeting of civil society Advisory Groups and Civil Society Dialogue Forum took place on 12 and 13 November 2020 virtually.
On Friday 13 November 2020,the Advisory Groups of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, together with the European Union Advisory Group, met to debate and address the concerns of all sectors represented in them, also taking into account the challenges ahead in the awake of the COVID-19 crisis on the two regions, and make recommendations to the Trade and Sustainable Development Board.
