Video conference of foreign affairs ministers (Trade), 16 April 2020

Main results

EU ministers responsible for trade issues had an exchange of views on the impact of COVID-19 on trade relations and on global value and supply chains. Ministers also had an opportunity to provide initial political reactions to the Commission’s proposal for a new export authorisation measure for certain items of personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as discuss the Commission’s recently published guidelines on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) screening.

The COVID-19 pandemic will have a profound and long-lasting effect on the European economy and on the way we trade with the rest of the world. Our immediate challenge is to keep trade flows open. We also need to ensure a swift recovery of our economies, in particular by securing the resilience and sustainability of our supply chains. Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister for foreign and European affairs of Croatia

• Joint press statement by the Croatian presidency and the European Commission following the informal meeting of EU trade ministers, 16 April 2020