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The
European Commission said on Wednesday that EU Trade Commissioner
Cecilia Malmstrom and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso
Guajardo had scheduled subsequent rounds for April 3-7 and June
26-29.
"Together, we are witnessing the worrying rise of protectionism
around the world. Side by side, as like-minded partners, we must
now stand up for the idea of global, open cooperation," the two
said in a joint statement.
European leaders have said Brussels should take advantage of a
more protectionist U.S. leader, who has already withdrawn from
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, to step up
negotiations with would-be partners.
Mexico faces the prospect of a renegotiated North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and possibly higher U.S. import duties.
The EU and Mexico have a free trade pact dating from 2000 that
they began to update last year, holding talks in June and
November.
The EU has said a new deal would seek to include public tenders,
trade in energy products and raw materials, broader protection
of intellectual property, more flexible rules on what products
can benefit from lower customs tariffs and greater benefits for
smaller companies.
It could also lead to more liberalized trade in meat, dairy
products, cereals and certain fruits and vegetables.
The European Union is Mexico's third largest trading partner
after the United States and China. EU-Mexico trade in goods more
than doubled from 2000 to 53 billion euros ($57.23 billion) in
2015.
The EU is particularly focused on trade deals with Asian
countries, including those that had signed up to the TPP before
Trump entered office.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
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