The European Commission has published a report on the implementation of the 25 July 2018 Joint Statement agreed by Presidents Juncker and Trump. The report provides a detailed overview on the state of play of the talks until now.
The Joint Statement launched a new phase in EU-US trade relations, preventing an escalation in trade tensions and establishing a positive transatlantic trade agenda. The EU and the US agreed to create an Executive Working Group to develop this work programme.
EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström, highlighted:
Trade discussions and negotiations in which the EU is involved have to be transparent and inclusive and the ongoing talks with the United States are no exception. After publishing the Commission’s draft proposals for negotiating mandates, today we are making available this detailed report
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On the EU side, the Executive Working Group is headed by Cecilia Malmström, the EU’s Commissioner for Trade, and on the US side the talks are led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. These two have launched talks in Brussels on 10 September 2018 and participated in more meetings in New York on 25 September and in Washington on 14 November and on 8 and 10 January 2019. Moreover, several technical level meetings have also taken place.
The EU has proposed a number of both short-term and medium-term actions to take work forward. The main focus of the talks in the first few months has been exploring how to deliver results on regulatory issues.
Regarding the EU, progress has also been made on facilitating imports of US soya beans. Imports of US soya beans by the European Union increased by 114% over the current market year, compared to the same period in the previous year. With a share of 77% of EU soya beans imports, the US has become Europe’s main supplier and the Commission concluded that US soya beans comply with the technical requirements to be used in biofuels in the EU.
For negotiations on industrial tariffs and on how to enable the process by which companies have their products tested, the Commission submitted draft mandates to the EU Member States on 18 January 2019.
The Joint Statement also clarifies that these talks are based on the condition that the US will impose no new tariffs or taxes on EU exports, including on cars and car parts. The Commission is also clear that the conclusion of negotiations on the elimination of industrial tariffs depends on the US lifting their current measures on EU steel and aluminium, in place since June 2018.
As for the future, on 7 February Commissioner Malmström will take part in a meeting of the Expert Group on EU Trade Agreements that will have EU-US relations on the agenda. This group was created in 2017 as a new forum for civil society organisations to advise on the Commission’s trade policy.
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