First round of negotiations on Free Trade Agreement complete

Singapore and the European Union had constructive discussions during the first round of negotiations on the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

The first round of negotiations, held in Singapore from 8 – 12 March 2010, covered discussions on trade in goods, rules of origin, trade remedies, trade in services and investment, intellectual property, government procurement, customs procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, competition, sustainable development and dispute settlement.

Negotiations on the FTA were officially launched by Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht in Singapore on 3 March 2010, with the next round of negotiations scheduled to take place in Brussels from 31 May – 4 June 2010.