Concluding remarks by the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body

The thirteenth Trade Policy Review of the European Union has offered us a good opportunity to deepen our understanding of the trade, economic, and investment policies of the EU which remains the biggest trader of goods and services in the world and one of the most important members of the WTO and the multilateral trading system. Well over 1,000 questions were submitted to the EU before the meeting from 38 Members and over 50 delegations intervened, which itself underlines the importance attached to the EU’s trade and investment policies and practices. Just as it was in the last Review in 2015, the EU remains of crucial significance to world trade; it is the second largest exporter and importer of goods, the largest trader of services and ranks first in both inbound and outbound investment.