Commissioner Malmström to steer trade negotiations at OECD Ministerial Conference

Commissioner Malmström will today be travelling to Paris to attend the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting today and tomorrow, which will focus specifically on measures to increase productivity in order to bring about inclusive growth. The Commissioner will notably take part in a session on the contribution of trade and investment to this important goal. In the margins of the OECD Ministerial, Commissioner Malmström will attend an informal ministerial gathering of a group of WTO members. Building on the successful ministerial in Nairobi last year, the goal is to reinvigorate the WTO negotiating agenda through new approaches and proposals across a range of issues that pose challenges for global trade. Commissioner Malmström will also chair a ministerial meeting on the negotiations for an agreement on trade in Services (TiSA), which takes place in parallel with the ongoing 18^th round of negotiations in Geneva. At this meeting, the Commissioner will focus on bringing about a common understanding on the steps needed to bring this deal to a successful conclusion, following the Davos Ministerial earlier this year which called for a swift conclusion of the negotiations. In line with its commitment to transparency, the Commission published last week its revised TiSA offer. In addition, Commissioner Malmström will attend a ministerial meeting on negotiations for an Environmental Goods Agreement, as well as a series of bilateral meetings with important commercial partners. Today, before leaving to Paris, Commissioner Malmström will take part in a panel discussion at the European Business Summit on the topic of an EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), together with the Canadian Minister for International Trade Chrystia Freeland