It is crucial to achieve greater market access by reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers and to improve market access in the services sector. It is also important to develop new rules governing trade and investment, trade and competition, and rules aimed at facilitating trade. Negotiations in all these areas should take full account of the needs of developing countries and the objective of sustainable development. This is just a glance at our main objectives. To let you know the latest thinking in the European Commission, I would like to quote Mr Lamy, the new Commissioner for Trade Policy .
New markets mean stronger growth and more jobs.
Globalisation, a key element of which is international commerce, facilitated by liberalisation of trade and investment, is not a zero sum game where some lose what the others gain. Europe has profited from it and will continue to do so, provided that it preserves its long-term competitiveness, its capacity for innovation, and its social market economy. In matters of development, human rights, social and environmental norms, the European Union holds values of universal relevance. And, from this point of view, the common commercial policy does not, to my thinking, boil down just to a tete a tete with our biggest partner, the USA, however important the US may be for us and for world peace. Other continents have the right to speak, other countries are emerging, regional groupings are being formed.