The Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, Chris Cardona attended the FAC: Informal Meeting of Trade Ministers during which the WTO's 10th Ministerial Conference, TTIP negotiations with the US and granting Market Economy Status to China were discussed.

During the first part of the meeting ministers shared their thoughts following the WTO's 10th Ministerial Conference which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 15 to 20 December.

The WTO Conference had culminated in the adoption of the "Nairobi Package", a series of Ministerial Decisions on international trade covering agriculture, cotton and issues related to least-developed countries.

At the Informal Meeting, Trade Ministers provided reflections on the difficulties and constraints faced during negotiations leading to the agreement reached at the very last part of the WTO's 10th Ministerial Conference.

The main discussion during the Informal Meeting focused on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the state of negotiations between the EU and the US.

Ministers called for a balanced and good agreement.

Minister Cardona reiterated Malta's particular interests, namely greater access in the services sector, seeing results in the regulatory aspect of the negotiations and in achieving ambitious chapters on SMEs, raw materials and energy.

In his conclusion, Minister Cardona called on the Commission to work towards an agreement that would bring substantial benefits and growth in all of the Member States. "In this regard I would also like to urge the Commission to provide us with the Sustainability Impact assessment at the earliest time possible" concluded Minister Cardona.

The final item discussed during the Informal Meeting was the question of granting Market Economy Status to China which is an important issue for the Netherlands Presidency and the EU as a whole. The Council discussed the possible options in relation to granting MES to China on the basis of a discussion paper prepared by the Commission.