A New Market Access Strategy for the European Union
12 November 1996 - 12 November 1996
On 12 November 1996, Sir Leon Brittan, Commissioner responsible for external relations and commercial policy, will open a one-day symposium on market access entitled "A New Market Access Strategy for the European Union". The symposium, which is being held in Brussels, is being organized within the context of the Commission's "Market Access Strategy", set out in a Commission Communication to the Council and Parliament in February this year.
The objective of the symposium is to provide representatives of the Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States with a forum in which to discuss the implementation of this Strategy with representatives of European business and industry.
The symposium programme will include presentations on the Community's policy in this area and specific measures being taken to identify and eliminate barriers to trade. In this context, the important role the business community can play in ensuring that the Commission has full information on market access to third countries will be underlined.
The programme will also include a presentation of the Commission's Market Access Database, created to support the Commission's activities in this area. This contains information on the trade regimes of the EU's major trading partners, their tariff schedules and other information useful to European exporters (the database will be available on the World Wide Web from 12 November 1996).
In addition to the plenary sessions, a number of workshops will be held, addressing the following specific areas:
- Services - prospects for the negotiations within GATS;
- How to identify barriers - types and examples;
- World Trade Organization - enforcement, dispute settlement, a tool for securing real market access;
- Intellectual property.
The symposium is open to all and businesses, large and small, are encouraged to participate. The Commission is keen to see as wide and varied a participation as possible.
For further information/registration, please contact the conference organizers at:
Palais des Congrès
Tel. +32-2-5134130; Fax +32-2-5142112
The objective of the symposium is to provide representatives of the Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States with a forum in which to discuss the implementation of this Strategy with representatives of European business and industry.
The symposium programme will include presentations on the Community's policy in this area and specific measures being taken to identify and eliminate barriers to trade. In this context, the important role the business community can play in ensuring that the Commission has full information on market access to third countries will be underlined.
The programme will also include a presentation of the Commission's Market Access Database, created to support the Commission's activities in this area. This contains information on the trade regimes of the EU's major trading partners, their tariff schedules and other information useful to European exporters (the database will be available on the World Wide Web from 12 November 1996).
In addition to the plenary sessions, a number of workshops will be held, addressing the following specific areas:
- Services - prospects for the negotiations within GATS;
- How to identify barriers - types and examples;
- World Trade Organization - enforcement, dispute settlement, a tool for securing real market access;
- Intellectual property.
The symposium is open to all and businesses, large and small, are encouraged to participate. The Commission is keen to see as wide and varied a participation as possible.
For further information/registration, please contact the conference organizers at:
Palais des Congrès
Tel. +32-2-5134130; Fax +32-2-5142112