§ 25. Mrs. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next expects to discuss the liberalisation of trade with his international partners. [77060]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Secretary of State often meets his overseas counterparts individually and takes every opportunity to discuss with them specific issues relating to international trade and the importance of further liberalising world trade in general. He next expects to meet the majority of his international partners as a group at the World Trade Organisation's Ministerial conference in Seattle from November 30 to December 3 this year. The agenda for that meeting is not yet fixed but is expected to include the launch of a new Round of multilateral trade liberalisation negotiations.
Liberalisation of trade is a matter covered by the Common Commercial Policy of the EU. The Secretary of State will next discuss this with EU partners in Berlin on 9–10 May 1999 at an Informal Meeting of Trade Ministers. Other opportunities to meet groups of trade ministers include the annual Ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development and the biannual Asia-Europe meeting.