The notable achievements during the Irish EU Presidency on advancing trade with our partners in Asia include the formal launch of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement with Japan, and agreement on a negotiating mandate and the first round of negotiations for a free trade agreement with Thailand. The Presidency also started Council consideration of the Commission’s recommendation for a mandate to open EU negotiations with China on an Investment Agreement. Progress on trade agreements with other Asian economies continued, with further trade talks taking place with Singapore and Vietnam. Myanmar/Burma was readmitted to the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences, which allows preferential access to the EU market.
The competence for the EU's common commercial policy lies with the European Union. Under Article 207 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Commission conducts the negotiations on behalf of the EU. The EU Commission’s website www.ec.europa.eu/trade/ is a useful source of information for the state of play of all EU trade and investment negotiations.