[CTC] EU and US will hold trade talks next week

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Politico Pro
EU and US will hold trade talks next week

By Hans von der Burchard
5/2/19
Senior officials from the EU and U.S. will launch bilateral trade talks in Washington next week, although the primary focus will be on regulatory cooperation since there is still no agreement whether to include agriculture and cars in the negotiations.

Negotiating teams will meet in the week of May 6 to discuss “regulatory cooperation in a number of sectors and prepare the ground for a meeting” between EU trade chief Cecilia Malmström and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer “due to take place in the coming weeks,” the European Commission confirmed. According to one EU official, the Malmström-Lighthizer meeting will probably take place on the sidelines of a OECD ministerial meeting <https://politico.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e26c1a1c392386a968d02fdbc&id=45e6eb4697&e=c0c5bc676f> in Paris on May 22-23.

EU countries last month adopted two sets of negotiating directives <https://politico.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e26c1a1c392386a968d02fdbc&id=6eb42f0eb2&e=c0c5bc676f>, of which one strand addresses regulatory cooperation to avoid unnecessary double-testing for the approval of new products such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, machineries and electronics.

It will be much harder <https://politico.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e26c1a1c392386a968d02fdbc&id=da963fedb2&e=c0c5bc676f>, though, to launch negotiations on the bigger strand of tariff cuts because the U.S. insists to include agriculture in those discussions, a demand the EU categorically rejects. Washington, in return, is reluctant to accept a European push for slashing auto duties as part of the talks.

Both sides will also meet in the week of May 13 at “expert level” to discuss World Trade Organization reforms “addressing unfair trading practices in third countries” and to seek to increase imports of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) and soya beans to Europe.

 
Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826




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