EU hardens stance in trade talks with Korea
Chosun Ilbo | 20 September 2007
EU Hardens Stance in Trade Talks With Korea
Free trade talks between Korea and the EU have hit an unexpected snag after the EU turned from a generous negotiating partner in the first two rounds into a stubborn, picky one in the third round. In the first and second rounds of trade talks, the EU made an exceptional proposal to open up all markets within seven years. But as the two sides confer again in Brussels, the EU is now demanding that Korea offer a trade package equal to the trade treaty with the U.S.
Chief EU trade negotiator Garcia Bercero opened the attack on the first day of the third round on Monday. As soon as the general meeting started, he said Korea’s revised proposal for scrapping tariffs was insufficient compared to the Korea-U.S. FTA. In a meeting with Korean protesters against the Korea-EU trade treaty, Bercero asked why not with the EU, given that Korea clinched a trade deal with the U.S. He argued the EU should receive the same treatment.
The Europeans continued their tougher stance on the second day. Korea’s chief delegate Kim Han-soo said he expected the EU to be “a stubborn negotiating partner but not to this extent.” Korea was at a disadvantage from the start as trade talks with the EU began immediately after Korea concluded negotiations with the U.S., which essentially revealed Korea’s entire hand. Many experts therefore worried that talks with the EU would be difficult. Now these concerns seem to have become a reality.
