Current European Union Trade Agreements

The House of Lords Library produces research briefings which provide politically impartial analysis of legislation and issues debated in the House of Lords, or of topical interest to its Members.

There are two series:

+ Lords Library Notes
+ Lords In Focus This House of Lords Library Briefing summarised the EU's trading relationships with OECD and BRICS countries, excluding European Free Trade Association states.

The EU has a World Trade Organisation recognised ‘regional trade agreement’ with seven of these countries: four involving free trade agreements extending to goods and services; two free trade agreements focused on goods; and one a customs union (Turkey).

For each, the Briefing highlights:

+ the type of agreement in place (if any)
+ the World Trade Organisation definition of any agreement
+ information on when agreements were signed (and, where possible, how long negotiations took)
+ some key points about the agreements or the countries’ trading relationship with the EU
+ the status of their trading relationship
+ a snapshot of their trading relationship (eg trade values and types of goods imported or exported).

Countries covered included: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Chile, Israel, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, United States, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, India and China.

• Primary Source

United Kingdom: Parliament: House of Lords: Library http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/work-of-the-house-of-lords/lords-library/

Centre for European Reform: Insight, January 2018: Of transition and trade deals http://www.europeansources.info/record/of-transition-and-trade-deals/

United Kingdom: Department for International Trade: Policy Paper, October 2017: Preparing for our future UK trade policy / The Trade Bill 2017-2019 http://www.europeansources.info/record/preparing-for-our-future-uk-trade-policy-the-trade-bill-2017-2019/

United Kingdom: Department for International Trade https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-trade

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