The European Union negotiates free trade agreements on behalf of all its member states, with member states having granted the EU “exclusive competence” to conclude trade agreements. Nevertheless, the governments of the Member States monitor each stage of the process (through the Council of the European Union, whose members are national ministers of each national government). Any existing European agreement that is not shaken up will end on 31 December and future trade will take place under WTO conditions until an agreement is reached. No more concrete roadmap has been announced for the upcoming trade and investment negotiations. The European Union has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs) with many countries of the world[1] and others with a trade component and negotiates with many others. [2] Full approval, exports to EU regions, factsheets, aid to exporters Of course, this clear separation does not mean that the ratification of free trade agreements lacks democratic legitimacy. Trade policy falls within the competence of the EU; Since the Treaty of Lisbon, trade agreements have had to be ratified by the European Parliament. Nevertheless, the parliaments of the Member States should be informed in a timely and full manner of the negotiations on free trade agreements in order to allow for a well-informed public debate. A transparent negotiation process also includes the publication of the European Commission`s negotiating mandates. The UK government is also conducting trade negotiations with countries that currently do not have EU trade agreements, such as the US, Australia and New Zealand. The UK has since left the EU, but its trade relationship remains the same until the end of the year. That`s because it`s in an 11-month transition – designed to give both sides some time to negotiate a new trade deal.

Following an online summit between the European Union and India, the two powers announced the establishment of a “high-level dialogue” on investment and trade. The details of a possible free trade agreement remain uncertain. To date, more than 20 of these existing agreements, covering 50 countries or territories, have been shaken up and will start on 1 January 2021. This represents around 8% of total UK trade, based on 2018 figures. But it is clear that new agreements with some countries will not be ready in time. Negotiating free trade agreements is far from easy. Due to the complexity of modern free trade agreements, negotiations can take years. . .

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