◎Korea, EU report FTA progress

Korea and the European Union made the most progress during their sixth round of talks, which wrapped up yesterday in Seoul, since the launch of talks in May, the chief negotiators of both sides said yesterday.

"It has been probably the most successful round we have had so far in terms of the progress we have made in a number of areas," Ignacio Garcia Bercero, EU chief negotiator for the bilateral talks, said in a news conference at the Shilla Hotel.

Kim Han-soo, Korea's chief negotiator, told reporters in a separate news conference that both sides made substantial progress, which was "more than what they had expected."

The two trading partners said they are aiming for a comprehensive and high-quality deal. Once ratified, it would be the largest FTA for both Korea and the European Union.

"I think the FTA we are negotiating is extremely important both for Korea and the EU; I would say it is the most important FTA for both sides," Bercero told reporters.

Seoul and Brussels began their latest round on Monday seeking to narrow differences on less sensitive issues, such as services, investment, customs, and trade regulations. Both sides agreed not to touch on key sensitive issues, such as general non-tariff barriers for automobiles and general tariff rate offers.

Ignacio Garcia Bercero (left), EU chief negotiator, and his Korean counterpart, Kim Han-soo, speak on major developments and ongoing issues after wrapping up the sixth round of free trade talks during their separate news conferences at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul yesterday. [Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald-Yonhap News]

The chief negotiators said Korea and the EU achieved significant progress in such areas as trade subsidies, anti-dumping, safeguards, intellectual property rights, and basic services and investment protocols.

The EU chief, however, stressed that "political will" would be required to find common ground on "difficult issues" like tariffs and non-tariff barriers for autos, a possible deal-breaker cited by Brussels, and agriculture, a major sensitive area for Seoul. Rules of origin for certain products are another area in which Korea expressed concern. The latest round focused mostly on basic protocols concerning rules of origin, and both sides gained a better understanding of each others' stance, Bercero said, describing the subject as a "very complex and technical issue."

"It is very clear that there are some issues in this negotiation that are going to be politically difficult for both Korea and the EU," Bercero said.

Kim also said that political support is very important in FTA deals, especially as they reach the final stages.

Before tackling the more politically sensitive issues later, both sides said they will hold a lot of meetings to clear away as many issues as possible between now and the seventh round, expected to take place some time in April.

Korea and the 27-member economic bloc aim to seal a "balanced" and comprehensive deal that would boost bilateral trade, which reached $89.8 billion in 2007. The EU is Korea's second-largest trading partner after China, while for the EU, Korea is its eighth-largest trading partner. The EU, the world's largest economic block, is Korea's largest foreign investor.

By Yoo Soh-jung (sohjung@heraldm.com)

2008.02.02

출처 : 코리아헤럴드 제공

티스토리와 오픈블로그