An open, proactive and forward-looking trade agenda to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and resilience

Leading negotiations for meaningful reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO), fostering a balanced, reciprocal and predictable economic relationship with China and advancing ongoing bilateral trade negotiations with key partners were among the main outcomes of the informal meeting of Trade ministers, held today at the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Lefkosia under the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Michael Damianos, and was also attended by the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Mr Maroš Šefčovič. 

Preparing for MC14: a strategic approach to WTO reform

The first plenary session focused on preparations and the EU’s objectives for the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14), which will be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 26 to 29 March 2026. Ministers reaffirmed that, against a backdrop of heightened uncertainty for global trade, the EU stands for cooperation over fragmentation, remaining a reliable partner committed to the rules-based multilateral system with the WTO at its core. In this context, there was broad consensus on the need for a unified, strategic EU approach to comprehensive and meaningful WTO reform grounded in predictability, fairness and flexibility.

EU–China relations and progress on bilateral negotiations

During the second plenary session, trade ministers discussed EU–China trade relations within the framework of the Union’s three-pronged approach: engagement in areas of common interest, de-risking through diversification and vulnerability mitigation, and unity in the EU response. In light of the persistent and widening trade imbalance, the ministers agreed that decoupling from China is not the answer. Instead, they stressed the importance of dialogue, transparency and respect for international rules, with a view to ensuring a balanced, reciprocal and predictable EU–China economic relationship.

The informal meeting concluded with a working lunch, during which Commissioner Šefčovič updated the ministers on ongoing bilateral trade negotiations. Mr Bernd Lange, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA), also participated in the discussion, which emphasised the need to expand the EU’s network of trade agreements. Inter alia, the ministers underlined the importance of the Mercosur and India agreements, as well as advancing negotiations with key partners, including the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. They also called for the swift signing of agreements already concluded, notably with Indonesia and Mexico.

Photos and video

See photos from the event on the Cyprus Presidency's Flickr account.