Brussels, 20/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 16 June, United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will join the agriculture ministers of the EU for their meeting in Luxembourg.
On a tour of Europe, Vilsack will have lunch with ministers on the sidelines of the Agriculture Council. Although he is not officially in charge of negotiations on a transatlantic free-trade agreement, that issue is expected to be discussed, as agriculture (particularly GMOs, food safety and geographical indications) is one of the main stumbling blocks in these talks. The fifth session of negotiations for this transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) opened in Virginia on 19 May (see EUROPE 11082). (LC)