<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eu-trade-chief-says-free-trade-agreement-with-us-should-be-wrapped-up-by-october-next-year/2013/04/18/e508a838-a83b-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eu-trade-chief-says-free-trade-agreement-with-us-should-be-wrapped-up-by-october-next-year/2013/04/18/e508a838-a83b-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html</a><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><h1 property="dc.title" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 2.5em; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="entry-title">EU trade chief says free trade agreement with US should be wrapped up by October next year</span></h1><div class="module article-toolbar floating relative" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; position: relative; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(225, 225, 225); "><div id="social-tools" class="social-tools" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; position: absolute; height: auto; top: -64px; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; width: auto; line-height: 0; background-color: transparent; max-width: 115px; right: 630px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 2px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="commentcount" style="margin-top: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; padding-top: 8px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; width: 70px; height: auto; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; "><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eu-trade-chief-says-free-trade-agreement-with-us-should-be-wrapped-up-by-october-next-year/2013/04/18/e508a838-a83b-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_allComments.html#comments" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none; display: inline-block; height: auto; clear: both; text-align: center; position: relative; padding-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 13px; width: 70px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-image: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; min-height: 11px; background-position: -884px -792px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "></a></li></ul></div></div></span></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><div class="module byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; position: relative; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; "><h3 property="dc.creator" style="margin-top: 17px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">By <span class="author vcard" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><span class="fn" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); ">Associated Press</span></span>, <a rel="item-license" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eu-trade-chief-says-free-trade-agreement-with-us-should-be-wrapped-up-by-october-next-year/2013/04/18/e508a838-a83b-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html#license-e508a838-a83b-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9" id="license-e508a838-a83b-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none; "></a><span class="timestamp updated processed" epochtime="1366298604000" datetitle="published" comparetime="1366298600000" pagetype="leaf" contenttype="article" style="color: rgb(110, 110, 110); "></span><span class="timestamp updated processed" epochtime="1366298600000" datetitle="updated" comparetime="1366298604000" pagetype="leaf" contenttype="article" style="color: rgb(110, 110, 110); ">Updated: Thursday, April 18, <span class="time special" style="color: rgb(204, 19, 30); ">8:23 AM</span></span></h3></div><div id="article" class="relative" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; position: relative; "><div id="article_body" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="article_body entry-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><article><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span class="dateline"></span>BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top trade official says negotiations with the U.S. on what would become the world’s largest free trade agreement should be concluded before the end of next year.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">Commissioner Karel de Gucht told reporters after a meeting of the 27-nation bloc’s trade ministers in Dublin that the talks with Washington should be concluded by October 2014, when the term of the European Commission ends and a month before U.S. holds midterm elections.</p></article></div></div></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">Experts say the agreement would foster growth and jobs by lowering tariffs and removing other trade barriers for most industries between the two economic giants, which together account for almost half of the world economy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">The negotiations are expected to be arduous, not least because of disagreements over the agricultural sector.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><div><br></div></span></div></body></html>