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Trade Policy and the European Union

An effective and coherent external policy

The United Kingdom, as part of its membership of the European Community, has agreed to join with other Member States in a customs union with common arrangements for imports from and exports to third counties. These common arrangements are decided, discussed, agreed and administered through the Community’s ‘Common Commercial Policy’ (CCP).

The CCP establishes uniform principles between all twenty-five Member States governing EU Trade Policy including; changes in tariff rates, the conclusion of tariff and trade agreements with non member countries, uniformity in trade liberalisation measures, export policy and instruments to protect trade such as anti-dumping measures and subsidies. For example, by maintaining the Common External Tariff, any product entering the Community will be subject to the same tariff rate whether it enters through a port in Italy, in Portugal or in the UK.

Where issues which affect the Community's CCP are being discussed in international fora, all twenty-five Member States co-ordinate on policy in order to present a cohesive Community external policy. In the multilateral World Trade Organisation negotiations, the Commission speaks on behalf of the Community and its Member States.

Article 133 Committee

Community trade policy is decided in the Article 133 Committee. The Committee, named after the relevant article of the EC Treaty, is technically a Working Group of the Council. It is comprised of representatives from each Member State and chaired by whichever Member State holds the EU Presidency; from 1 January 2006 this will be Austria.

The Committee meets on a weekly basis, usually on a Friday. It discusses the full range of trade policy issues affecting the Community, from the strategic issues surrounding the launch of rounds of trade negotiations at the WTO to specific difficulties with the export of individual products, and considers the trade aspects of wider Community policies in order to ensure consistency of policy. Specialist meetings of the Article 133 Committee also meet separately to consider such complex issues as trade in services and textiles in greater depth than is usually possible.

The Committee operates on a formal basis, with agendas drawn up by the Presidency, in consultation with the Commission and Council Secretariat (133 agendas can be seen on the Council web site, see related links), and with papers submitted by the Commission and Member States for the consideration of all Member States. Many papers from the Commission come to the Committee in draft for discussion and approval before being finalised and forwarded to the WTO in Geneva. Papers which have been agreed by the Committee can be found at European Commissions DG Trade’s web site (see related links).

Whatever the make up of the Committee - at whatever level, generalist or specialist - officials representing their Member States at the Article 133 Committee are accountable to their domestic Ministers for their actions.

Contact:

Tom Meredith

Tel:  020 7215 1832
Fax: 020 7215 2235
Email: thomas.meredith@berr.gsi.gov.uk