EU FTAS IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT REPORT
On 11 October, the European Commission published its second annual report on the Implementation and Enforcement of EU Trade Agreements, which provides an overview of the main activities to ensure effective implementation of EU trade agreements in 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.
Making the most of trade agreements and their effective implementation is becoming increasingly important: for example, 44% of the EU's trade took place under preferential trade agreements in 2021, with this expected to rise to 47,4% with the incorporation of agreements currently under adoption or ratification. The report shows that exports from the EU to preferential partners (minus the UK) grew more (16%) than EU exports to all trading partners (13%) between 2020 and 2021. EU exports to preferential partners for the first time surpassed €1 trillion in 2021.
The Report covers actions in four priority areas: ensuring the opportunities provided by EU trade agreements are fully used; helping small and medium-sized enterprises find their place in global trade; tackling trade barriers and resolving problems outside formal disputes; and using bilateral or multilateral dispute mechanisms to enforce EU rights.
The report is accompanied by a Commission Staff Working Document, which contains additional information on 38 major EU trade agreements, including for the first time a country sheet on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (EU-UK TCA).
Source and full report: European Commission