Parmelin signs modernized free trade agreement with Chile
Published: Monday, Jun 24th 2024, 14:40
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The four EFTA countries, including Switzerland, have signed a revised free trade agreement with Chile. On Monday in Geneva, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin expressed caution regarding the negotiations with Mercosur and "relative optimism" for the negotiations with Beijing.
The agreement with Chile was signed at the ministerial meeting of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which Switzerland currently chairs and to which Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway also belong. Speaking to the press, Economics Minister Parmelin expressed his "confidence" regarding an improvement in "market access" and also the "legal framework" with this country.
The agreement will improve exports and the "competitiveness" of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular, he told the Keystone-SDA news agency on the sidelines of the ministerial conference. In future, 99.99 percent of Swiss exports to Chile will be duty-free. The enforcement of all intellectual property rights is also planned.
Difficult negotiations with Mercosur
According to Parmelin, negotiations with the Mercosur states of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are proving difficult. These negotiations were resumed at the end of April after a five-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic and the political situation in the South American bloc.
A few months ago, Parmelin did not rule out the possibility of an agreement this year, but now he is even more cautious: "There are intellectual property issues with which Brazil has returned to the negotiating table, even though they were settled in 2019," said Parmelin.
A date for the next round of negotiations has not yet been set, according to consistent sources.
Parmelin in China erwartet
Parmelin was "relatively optimistic" about the talks on a revised free trade agreement with China. It is difficult to say when a new agreement could be reached, but there are interests on the Chinese side, said Parmelin. The internal situation in the country, in particular the difficulties on the real estate market, are forcing it to enter into a dialog. Parmelin is expected to attend talks in China next week.
©Keystone/SDA
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