Korea removes rice from EU FTA talks
Chosun Ilbo | 16 July 2007
Korea Removes Rice from EU FTA Talks
South Korea has sent a draft proposal on free trade talks to the EU, promising to remove or phase out import tariffs on cars over seven years, the government said on Sunday.
Seoul has also decided to exclude rice from its list of markets subject to opening, but it may agree to open up its agricultural market, including beef.
If South Korea’s farm market is opened, it would happen over a period of more than 10 years or be partially protected through a quota system, the government said.
Meanwhile, Brussels has delivered its draft proposal to Seoul, promising to open all markets 100 percent within seven years.
Based on the proposals, the two sides will hold their second round of talks in Brussels, Belgium, for five days from Monday. Discussions will center on how much they will open each market and how they will deal with each of the service sectors.
The talks are set to wrap up before the end of the year. "We’ll be able to speed up in earnest on some items," said Seoul’s chief negotiator, Kim Han-soo.
