Sat. Feb 8th, 2025

Geneva, 7 January 2025 

“Check against delivery”

It is a pleasure to be here. And thank you for your hospitality, Dr Ngozi.

Please allow me to begin by restating my heartfelt congratulations, and the strong support of the European Union for your second term as Director-General. We look forward to continuing our fruitful cooperation with you.

This is one of my first trips abroad in my capacity as Commissioner responsible for EU trade policy. It was indeed important to me to come to Geneva as early as possible to meet the Director-General, as well as representatives of several WTO members.

The European Union remains a global champion for rules-based international cooperation. That is why we are committed to the effective functioning and revitalisation of the Word Trade Organisation. For it to remain the most relevant forum for global trade, we must reinvent the WTO so it can successfully overcome the problems we face in today’s trading system – to the benefit of all.

This means:

  • on the one hand, leading efforts towards strengthening rules-based trade;
  • while at the same time, reflecting the current realities of trade and investment, by promoting the WTO’s role on new, complex issues of strategic importance, especially industrial policies and a level-playing field, as well as economic security, but also climate change and the digital transition.

This has never been so pressing because our geopolitical environment and the world economy, including international trade, are changing. But like business, trade too thrives on predictability and fair rules.

So, it is in all our interests to adapt global rules in order to address the new realities.

Therefore, I am glad to be in sync with the Director-General and I am looking forward to working together to tackle the new and complex issues at hand.

Source – EU Commission

 

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