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Thursday, November 16, 2017 
Joint Statement: Chile and EU launch negotiations to modernise Association Agreement
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Chile and the European Union today formally launched negotiations in Brussels to modernise the current Chile-EU Association Agreement.

The modernisation of the Agreement expresses the willingness of both Chile and the EU to strengthen the already excellent bilateral relations and to open up new areas of cooperation. Both sides share the values of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and gender equity and are committed to working together and promoting them in multilateral forums, as well as sustainable development, combating climate change and promoting innovation, cross-cutting elements of the modernized Agreement.

We want to be ambitious and visionary in order to achieve a modernised, progressive and innovative Agreement. In the new Agreement, cooperation should be strengthened in areas such as space, research, social affairs, including decent employment, education, training and opportunities for young people, ocean governance, digital policy and disaster preparedness, among many others, which will allow us to open new paths in our relationship.

In the area of trade, the current Association Agreement has been a great success, substantially increasing trade flows between the parties. However, after 14 years, the Agreement no longer fully covers the spectrum of trade and investment issues. In these new negotiations, we also have the opportunity to conclude a high-calibre trade agreement covering all issues, including those reflecting our shared values, such as trade and sustainable development, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, anti-corruption measures and trade and gender.

We look forward to continuing our discussions in future negotiating rounds.