On the website of the European Commission are listed the EU proposals regarding free trade negotiations with the United States of America.
“The European Commission has today adopted proposals for negotiating directives for trade talks with the United States: one on conformity assessment to make it easier for companies to prove their products meet technical requirements on both sides of the Atlantic, and one on the elimination of tariffs for industrial goods,” reads the message.
In order for the negotiations to start, the EU Member States must approve the proposals.
European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom: “Today's publication of our draft negotiating directives is part of the implementation of the July Joint Statement of Presidents Juncker and Trump. Ambassador Lighthizer and I have already met several times in the Executive Working Group and I have made it very clear that the EU is committed to upholding its side of the agreement reached by the two Presidents. These two proposed negotiating directives will enable the Commission to work on removing tariffs and non-tariff barriers to transatlantic trade in industrial goods, key goals of the July Joint Statement.”
On March 8, 2018, US president Trump signed a decree introducing customs duties on imports of steel and aluminum products. In response to this, the EU set a 25% duty on goods from the United States: sports and motor craft, jeans, whiskey, cigars and cigarettes, sweet corn and others.
In July 2018, president Trump met with the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. An agreement was reached to refrain from imposing new duties and to begin negotiations to avoid a trade war.
Source: 112.international/finance