Strasbourg, 18/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - Meeting in Washington on 11 May, European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and joint chairman of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) Mike Froman agreed to inject fresh impetus into this mechanism which was set up in 2007 to settle bilateral trade disputes resulting from regulatory differences. The pair did not, however, set any agenda. Speaking to press, De Gucht said that the two sides were working on a series of issues to be settled in the short term, which would have an impact on employment and would be to the advantage of both. The long-term issues, such as the dispute over the EU import ban on American chlorine solution treated chickens, which has been on-going for over a decade (since 1997) were not on the agenda. However, according to the US weekly Inside US Trade, De Gucht and Froman have not ruled out future discussion on strategic issues of mutual interest, such as China's domestic policies on innovations. The TEC is scheduled to meet in 2010, but the exact date has yet to be decided. (E.H./transl.rt)