Please find attached the May edition of our Trade Monthly Monitor, highlighting key developments across the EU trade agenda.

This month’s update reflects continued activity across multiple strands of EU trade policy, notably in preferential market access, FTA negotiations, and evolving international partnerships.

A key highlight is the European Parliament’s adoption of the revised Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), which will continue to grant developing countries preferential access to the EU market while reinforcing conditionality on human rights and environmental standards. This reform is set to apply from January 2027.

On FTAs, engagement with ASEAN partners remains a central pillar of the EU’s trade strategy. Ministers reaffirmed the EU–ASEAN strategic partnership, while bilateral negotiations continue to advance, including with Malaysia, where both sides are targeting conclusion by 2027. Elsewhere, progress was recorded with Bangladesh through the endorsement of a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, and political support is building within the European Parliament for the ratification of the modernised EU–Mexico agreement. At the same time, developments around the EU–Mercosur agreement remain sensitive, with Poland announcing a legal challenge.

On the EU’s internal agenda, further developments are expected on customs policy, notably with upcoming Commission guidance on the €3 flat-rate duty replacing the de minimis threshold for low-value imports, reflecting increased attention on e-commerce flows.

EU–US relations continue to evolve, with the launch of a new critical minerals partnership aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience and deepening industrial cooperation.

Finally, at institutional level, the Commission has announced the appointment of Ditte Juul Jørgensen as the new Director-General of DG TRADE, effective from June 2026 replacing prominent figure Sabine Weyand.

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