Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – “Trade is progress and peace in motion,” said EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic on Thursday, adding that the EU has always supported free and fair trade. “We need trade—trade is not just a political slogan; it is an economic imperative,” Sefcovic stated during the Economic Security Forum he attended in Brussels.
The Brussels Economic Security Forum (BESF) – the first of its kind – is a hosted event by the European Policy Centre (EPC), on June 5–6, 2025, at The Merode in Brussels, Belgium. The BESF will address the nexus between economic security and geopolitics. When dealing with competition and disruption on a global scale, the importance of economic security has become quite clear.
How does the EU approach economic trade diplomacy?
The EU Trade Commissioner also reaffirmed the idea that Robert Schuman’s economic trade is essential to the creation of Europe.
“We negotiate, we do not isolate, and we do not leave the table,”
Sefcovic said.
“This is reflected in the EU’s network of Free Trade Agreements (FTA), the largest of any trading player worldwide. And we’re fast-tracking bilateral talks underway and initiating numerous new ones,”
He said.
How is the UK promoting cooperative economic security?
The UK is approaching economic security in an open and cooperative manner, according to Jonathan Reynolds, the country’s minister of state for business and trade. “Nice neighbours are supposed to have nice fences. But the UK and the EU are friends, not simply neighbours,” Reynolds said.
How might rescheduled trade talks shape EU-US ties?
Following the resumption of trade talks and tensions between the US and the EU, the statements were made. When US President Donald Trump said that trade discussions were “going nowhere” after postponing the previously imposed 20% tax, he threatened to slap a straight 50% tariff on the EU beginning on June 1.
The US president then rescheduled the event for July 9 after consulting with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission. Sefcovic and the US trade representative met in Paris on Wednesday, marking the start of continuing trade negotiations between the two sides.
