The business and employer organisations from Belgium (FEB), Spain (CEOE) and Sweden (Confederation of Swedish Enterprise) would like to cordially invite you to attend our joint event The EU Trade Agenda until the 2024 European Elections on 24 May at FEB (from 1 p.m. to 2.30 p.m.).

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, heightened geopolitical tensions, Brexit and Covid-19 – to name just a few – have demonstrated just how important an open EU trade policy is for strengthening the EU’s long-term competitiveness. With an increasing proportion of global growth taking place outside Europe, trade and global markets are essential for enabling European companies to access expertise, key technologies and global value chains – and thus strengthen economic resilience.

However, there is still a great deal of resistance to open trade and many of the FTAs already concluded have not yet been ratified. In light of all this, market access needs to be revitalised. With one year to go until the European elections, this is a good time to address what has yet to be achieved in terms of international trade. How do we finalise our agreements with Mercosur, New Zealand, Chile and Mexico? What is the way forward for EU-US trade relations? How can negotiations with Australia, India and Indonesia advance?

These and other issues will be discussed by high-level representatives of the Swedish, Spanish and Belgian governments (see current and upcoming Presidencies of the Council of the European Union), the European Commission, the European Parliament and the business community.