[2] The Lisbon reform Treaty further clarified what was already the case by defining the Common Commercial Policy as an exclusive competence, only to be acted upon by member states at the EU level.
Today the decision-making process for the implementation of EU Common Commercial Policy is under the auspices of the Ordinary Legislative Procedure (formerly called the co-decision procedure):[7] The European Parliament and the Council, acting by means of regulations in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, shall adopt the measures defining the framework for implementing the common commercial policy.This necessitates the European Commission, in order to take any actions within the Common Commercial Policy, to first table a legislative proposal, usually drafted by DG Trade, to the relevant European Parliamentary committees (the most relevant being the International Trade Committee) eventually making its way to a full vote of the plenary, and simultaneously submit it to the Council of EU working parties and EU member state ministers.
[2] With global tariffs falling, and an increasingly integrated and complex Single Market, European Union member states have shown a growing appetite to conclude bilateral and multilateral agreements that do not pertain to exclusive competences of the Union, such as agreements on investment and intellectual property with third countries.
[2] For the elements that fall outside exclusive competences, the European Parliament loses its amendment powers, but usually retains an overall veto via the Special Legislative Procedures laid down in the treaties for the scrutiny of EU foreign relations.
It shall contribute to peace, security, the sustainable development of the Earth, solidarity and mutual respect among peoples, free and fair trade, eradication of poverty and the protection of human rights, in particular the rights of the child, as well as to the strict observance and the development of international law, including respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter.How this might influence the EU's Common Commercial Policy in the future is not clear.
[3] The European Commission sought through a 2016 Communication to maintain the importance of fairness in world trade dealings in the face of "unprecedented" levels of dumping of imported products, and to ensure that EU trade policy was consistent with the aims of protecting jobs and promoting economic growth within the EU.