With the EU Council having adopted the European Commission's proposal for a mandate on Friday 19 October, European and American negotiators spoke for the first time on Tuesday 23 October (by video-conference), to revise the functioning of an import quota for beef, a European source confirmed on Wednesday 24 October.
These negotiations aim to increase the US share of an existing tariff quota of 45,000 tonnes for high quality beef which has not been treated with growth hormones.
The discussions will continue with the US and other interested parties over the coming days and weeks, the same source stated.
Needless to say, these discussions will be closely monitored by certain Mercosur countries, particularly Argentina and Uruguay, who share, along with Australia, around 60% of this existing quota (see EUROPE 12114).
While this negotiation is timely, at a point when the talks between the EU and US have not yet produced tangible results (see EUROPE 12119), different parties have nevertheless noted that this negotiation was not linked to these talks, nor to the negotiations aiming to conclude a free trade agreement with Mercosur (see EUROPE 12097). (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)