EU - Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne attending trade ministers’ videoconference (16 Apr. 2020))

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, minister of State, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will attend tomorrow’s videoconference of European trade ministers.

This meeting will be devoted essentially to the economic and commercial implications of the Covid-19 crisis, in line with the guidelines established by the EU heads of state and government and G20 leaders on March 26.

The ministers will discuss the means available to the EU to help bolster value and supply chains at the global level, especially with respect to protective medical equipment in response to the pandemic, but also food items. They will also discuss the lessons to be learned from the current crisis for the global economy and the international trading system, as well as maintaining a stable, predictable, open environment for trade and investment, which are key to economic recovery.

France will stress the importance of a perfectly coordinated response to this unprecedented health crisis at both the European and international levels, and will reaffirm its commitment to the principle of solidarity and a rules-based multilateral trading system. It will support initiatives designed to facilitate the trade of essential items to combat the pandemic and ease multilateral trade tensions, while underscoring the need to strengthen the EU’s capacity to combat unfair practices. It will urge the EU to adopt a strategic approach in response to the crisis aimed at diversifying value chains and securing supplies in a manner consistent with the European Green Deal and our international commitments on sustainable development and the fight against climate change.