"Due to COVID-19"... Korea-EU Expert Panel Meeting Postponed Until Mid-June

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The expert panel hearing, the final dispute resolution procedure under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Korea and the European Union (EU), has been postponed due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 1st, the expert panel hearing to determine whether Korea's delay in ratifying the International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions violates the Korea-EU FTA has been postponed due to the spread of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "Korea, the EU, and the expert panel agreed to tentatively postpone the oral hearing until around mid-June, considering the trend of COVID-19 spread."

Originally, both Korea and the EU planned to hold the oral hearing in Switzerland from the 14th to the 16th, but due to the spread of COVID-19, the schedule was postponed by about two months. In Europe, COVID-19 is rapidly spreading.

The hearing between the two sides was initiated after the EU entered the dispute resolution procedure, claiming that Korea has not complied with the FTA provision requiring efforts to ratify the ILO core conventions by the end of 2018.

According to the FTA provisions, last December, an expert panel consisting of members from Korea, the EU, and a third country was formed to begin the hearing procedure.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.