This is unlikely, because historically the EU (and its predecessors such as the European Community) has preferred to separate the economy from foreign policy. Even at the height of the Cold War, Western European countries continued to trade with Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, particularly with German energy imports from the USSR. Germany could have sourced energy from alternative sources, but the USSR was the most reasonable source for economic reasons, and these considerations were geopolitical, although Germany itself was divided between East and West for geopolitical reasons. Chapter 3 on Trade in Services closely follows the approach of the WTO`s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It covers the four service providers within the meaning of the GATS and is aimed at all service sectors. The chapter deals with general disciplines, while the annexes contain more specific provisions for certain sectors or aspects (for example. B on mutual recognition, people transport, financial services and telecommunications). There is also a record of communication relating to the services that are an integral part of the agreement. Indeed, the separation of the EU between geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations over the past 50 years has been an important source of friction between the EU and the US, with the Us generally viewing trade as a legitimate part of an integrated geostrategic toolkit. This difference in approach has recently manifested itself in the dispute between the EU and the United States over the Iran nuclear deal: despite security considerations in the Middle East, the EU insists that it has the right to continue trading with Iran and is very interested in exercising that right. US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly criticized Germany for importing gas from Russia. The scope of the free trade agreement covers trade in goods (industrial and processed products, fish and other seafood), trade in services, public procurement and competition.
With regard to investments and intellectual property rights, the parties agreed to negotiate these issues after the agreement came into force. Commodities are covered by bilateral agricultural agreements, which are part of the free trade area instruments between the contracting parties. This year is an excellent opportunity to resume negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and the GCC. Since the failure of negotiations between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council in 2009, much has changed in the Gulf region. The Eu-Gulf Cooperation Council and the Gulf Cooperation Council began negotiations in 1990 for a free trade agreement. The free trade agreement provides for a gradual and reciprocal liberalisation of trade in goods and services. The negotiations faced several challenges and were virtually halted in 2008, when the GCC countries ended all ongoing negotiations in which they participated. The chapter on trade in goods also contains provisions relating to trade assistance, such as anti-dumping measures and safeguards. At the end of 2008, the GCC officially announced that it was suspending trade negotiations due to the EU`s insistence on political demands. The two sides meet annually to discuss trade, including through the EU-GCC Joint Cooperation Committee in Riyadh or Brussels. Given the benefits of free trade, the EU, the world`s largest economy and its largest trading bloc, should continue to focus on removing its own trade barriers.