
TheEuropean Union has concludedfree trade agreements (FTAs)[1].The European Union negotiates free trade deals on behalf of all of its member states, as the member states have granted the EU an "exclusive competence" to conclude trade agreements. Even so, member states' governments control every step of the process (via theCouncil of the European Union, whose members are nationalministers from each national government):
The list below only includes countries that have an FTA with the European Union according to theWTO.[1]
| State | Signed | Provisional Application | Ratification | Notes | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2014 | 21 / 30 [57] | Interim agreement with a view to anEPA | ||
| 2016 | 2017[58] | 18 / 30 [59] | Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement[60] | ||
| CARIFORUM States | 2008 | 2008 | 37 / 44 [61] | EPA - Croatia acceded to the agreement on 28 November 2017 | |
| 2009 | 2016 | 24 / 30 [62] | Stepping StoneEPA | ||
| Eastern andSouthern Africa States | 2009 | 2012, 2019 | 5 / 35 [63] | Interim Agreement for establishing a framework for anEPA | |
| 2016 | 2016[64] | 11 / 30 [64] | Stepping StoneEPA | ||
| Pacific States | 2009 | 2009, 2014, 2018, 2020 | 4 / 5 [65] | Interim Partnership Agreement | |
| South African Development Community (SADC) members | 2016 | 2016 | 20 / 35 [66] | Economic Partnership Agreement |
The European Court of Justice has held that investor-statearbitration provisions (including a dedicated tribunal planned by some free trade agreements) falls under competency shared between European Union and its member states and that for this reason, the ratification of such mixed agreements[67] should be approved by the EU as well as by each of the union's member states.[68] This court decision has resulted in a new architecture of external trade negotiations which will have two components:[69]
One study found that the trade agreements that the EU implemented over the period 1993-2013 have, on average, increased the quality of imported goods by 7% and therefore "lowered quality-adjusted prices by close to 7%," without having much of an impact on the non-adjusted price.[70]
Today, the EU and Japan notified each other of the completion of their respective ratification procedures.
[...] the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) was signed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council president Donald Tusk and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. [...] The leaders also witnessed the signing of the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement (EUSIPA) – a pact that will replace 12 existing bilateral investment treaties between Singapore and EU member states to offer better investment protection – and the EU-Singapore Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (ESPCA).
[...] the Agreement should enter into force on 21 November 2019 in agreement with the Singaporean side