A free-trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and Taiwan could be sealed in about two years, a visiting Member of the European Parliament (MEP) said on Wednesday in Taiwan.
Han van Baalen told reporters that while FTA negotiations were always complicated and painstaking, if both sides worked hard enough they could reach an agreement within 24 months.
The Dutch lawmaker, who is also vice chairman of the EP--Taiwan Friendship Group and president of Liberal International, was invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a four-day visit to Taiwan which began on Monday.
Van Baalen, a strong advocate of Taiwan’s active participation in international affairs, said he was worried that if the negotiations did not begin soon, Taiwan’s economic influence would be severely threatened by nearby South Korea and Japan.
South Korea and the EU sealed an FTA last year and Japan is set to begin policy discussions with the EU, possibly in September.
“If Taiwan is left out, [the country] would be in a negative position because produce and products from South Korea and Japan would come easier into the European market, and may be cheaper,” van Baalen said.
The lawmaker said he expected EU-Taiwan trade talks to get off the ground next year, but he -identified some potential “stumbling blocks” such as tariffs, legislation, trade barriers and security checks that could delay the negotiation process.
‘PROMISING GOAL’
“These things take time,” he said, noting that it took South Korea about five years to complete its agreement with the EU.
The negotiations between the EU and Taiwan might take less time, but if both sides work hard enough, two years is a very promising goal, he said.
The current preparatory stage involves the mapping of industries that would most likely be affected by an EU-Taiwan trade agreement, he said.
He indicated that the chances of the EU Parliament approving such an agreement were good and most EU lawmakers support the idea of good relations with Taiwan.
“We should have the agreement, and I’m backed by the majority of the European Parliament,” he said.
Asked about China’s influence on the development of relations between the EU and Taiwan, he said it was not a factor.
“The visa waiver has nothing to do with Beijing. The free-trade agreement has nothing to do with Beijing,” he said.
“Beijing, as it has started trade liberalization with Taiwan, is in no position to stop the EU from forming similar economic ties with Taiwan,” Van Baalen said.
Taiwan’s establishment of an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China was a “wise” one, he said.
“It is beneficial and helpful because Beijing loses the argument for opposing Taiwan forming such agreements with other countries, such as the US and the EU,” he said.
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