Thailand, Italy Hold Bilateral Trade Talk

BALI, INDONESIA, December 5 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Commerce held a bilateral trade talk with Italy, aimed at expanding Thai export in the European Union. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan, now attending the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Bali, Indonesia, said after a bilateral talk with Carlo Calenda, Italian deputy minister for economic development, that in the second half of next year Italy would become the chair of the European Union (EU) that was a very important market for Thai exports. Therefore, he said, he had asked Italy to convince EU member states to give privileges for Thai products as privileges under the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) that the EU offered to Thailand will gradually expire from early next year. Niwatthamrong proposed that the EU issue temporary regulations to cut import tariffs on Thai products to 0% or at least set quotas for the tax-free import of Thai products pending free trade negotiation between Thailand and the EU. Thailand and Italy also agreed to accelerate the conclusion of the free trade agreement between Thailand and the EU from late next year to mid next year so that the free trade agreement can replace the expiring GSP, he added. The Thai commerce minister also said that the bilateral talk addressed preparation for the visit of the Italy president and about 200 Italian businesspeople to Thailand next July as invited by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. According to Niwatthamrong, Italy asked Thailand to relax the new industrial standards that Thailand will impose next year as Italy is still unable to meet some of the standards. Italy also asked Thailand to cut import tariffs on wine and alcoholic beverages. However, Thai authorities replied that the tariffs take effect equally on imports from every country and on locally- made products. (TNA)