The EU and Korea want to remain at the forefront of new digital developments, while upholding open digital economies that are competitive, transparent, fair, and free of unjustified barriers to international trade.
Building on the cooperation and convergence in the Digital Partnership and Digital Trade Principles that were agreed upon in early 2023, both sides intend to negotiate an ambitious and modern digital trade agreement that contributes to their societies’ digital transformation, enables companies and people to keep pace with the fast-evolving nature of the digital economy, and deepens and complements the existing bilateral preferential trade framework.
These digital trade rules should build consumer trust, ensure predictability and legal certainty for businesses, and remove and prevent the emergence of unjustified barriers to digital trade,
As digitally progressive and like-minded trading partners, the EU and Korea want to play a leading role in setting high-standard digital trade rules between our regions and raising the ambition of global digital standards.
On 31 October 2023 - in the margins of the 11th EU-Korea Trade Committee - Korean Minister for Trade Dukgeun Ahn and European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis officially announced the launch of negotiations on an EU-Korea Digital Trade Agreement.
The second round of negotiations took place in Seoul from 20 to 22 February 2024.
European Commission, Commission to start digital trade agreement negotiations with Singapore and the Republic of Korea, Press release, 28 June 2023
European Union, European Union's (EU) proposal for the legal text of the EU-Republic of Korea
Digital Trade Agreement, 12 September 2023
European Data Protection Supervisor, Summary of the Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on the Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations for digital trade disciplines with the Republic of Korea and with Singapore; OJ, 18 July 2023
Author: Ulrich JOCHHEIM, Members' Research Service, legislative-trains@europarl.europa.eu