Ministers responsible for industry and trade policy to discuss EU’s competitiveness and relations with the United States

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend a joint informal meeting of the EU’s competitiveness and trade ministers in Warsaw on 3–4 February 2025. The ministers will discuss ways in which industrial and trade policies can support the EU’s global competitiveness. The relations between the EU and the United States will also be on the meeting’s agenda. In addition, the ministers will discuss the integration of EU candidate countries into the single market as part of the Union’s value chains.

The ministers will discuss how to strengthen the EU’s competitiveness through industrial and trade policy measures.

In Finland’s view, the EU’s strategic competitiveness should be based on further developing the Union’s strengths and implementing market-based solutions. A well-functioning single market with free movement and an effective state aid and competition policy play a role in promoting predictability and ensuring a favourable investment environment.

Finland considers it important that the EU actively opens up new markets for our businesses by negotiating trade agreements. The agreements support the diversification of supply chains, thus improving resilience. They will also strengthen the EU’s partnerships.

“There has recently been good news about the EU’s trade agreement negotiations. The negotiations with Mercosur and Mexico have been concluded. We must now ensure that the negotiated agreements enter into force promptly. They will be beneficial to our businesses only if they are in force,” Minister Ville Tavio says.

The meeting will discuss the future of the transatlantic partnership.

“The United States is an important ally for Finland and a key partner for the EU. The EU-US relations must be examined comprehensively. While we look for mutually interesting areas of cooperation to facilitate trade, we should simultaneously prepare for changes in the United States’ trade policy.

The ministers will discuss the integration of EU candidate countries into the EU single market as part of the Union’s value chains. This will also provide an opportunity to discuss how candidate countries’ participation in the EU’s value chains promotes their convergence with the single market.

“I am pleased that the EU has strategic partnerships on raw materials with candidate countries, including with Ukraine. This provides a basis on which we can work together to strengthen the single market and participation in global value chains,” Minister Tavio says.