We have worked to make our trade negotiations more transparent and to negotiate value-based agreements. We have listened to concerns, for example by carrying out a reform of the investment protection system and setting out to create a multilateral investment court. Our world is rapidly changing and this creates a multitude of concerns.
Cecilia MalmstromGermany and other countries have protested to the U.S. We have to make it clear again and again that millions of jobs in the U.S. depend on trade with the EU.
Cecilia MalmstromWe are deeply concerned about the situation in Russia with regards to human rights. There are several examples of this situation, such as the new law requiring NGOs to register as "foreign agents", the law banning homosexual "propaganda", problems with the rule of law and arbitrary judicial processes, and court rulings against the opposition.
Cecilia MalmstromThe U.S. has dropped its role as the vanguard of free trade, they are looking for a new partner: the EU.
Cecilia MalmstromI actually do not believe that Trump is anti-trade as such. He himself was a life-long trader in his own area, the real estate sector. And hasn't he just closed an arms deal with the Saudis valuing over $100 billion? The difference is that Trump sees trade as something with a winner and a loser. This seems to be a theme of his, and that makes us different. For us, trade is something where both sides win.
Cecilia Malmstrom