The trade agreement with the European Union (EU), whose negotiations were resumed in 2010, would be realized later this year. In this last phase, according to government and EU representatives, approvals of both parties are still needed.
Peter Schwaiger, representative of the European Union (EU) in Ecuador, explained that the agreement must be ratified “in the Council of Ministers,” where member states are represented. He says that this procedure could last about four months.
The next step is that the process goes to the European Parliament, where it could materialize by the end of the year. He points out that Ecuador should also do its own internal approvals in the Constitutional Court and the National Assembly.
Minister of Industry and Productivity (Mipro) Eduardo Egas states that the European Commission discusses the technical aspects, while the European Parliament the political aspects.
