The European Commission will prepare two separate negotiating directives to negotiate with Washington, if its scoping exercise is successful, Ignacio Garcia Bercero, Chief European Negotiator, told the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade on Tuesday 20 November.
The first mandate will be for a limited agreement on industrial tariffs, if the Trump Administration's consultations with the US Congress are successful in mid-January, and if the exploratory exercise is successful in this direction, confirmed Mr Garcia Bercero.
The European negotiator has, once again, stated this: "There is no question for us to include agriculture tariffs in any negotiations with the United States".
The second mandate would focus on conformity assessments. On this point, the exploratory discussions of the executive working group made it possible to identify three areas of common interest where rapid progress can be expected: - pharmaceuticals; - medical equipment, and - cybersecurity.
As for the talks on the reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), they have made progress on most issues, with the exception of the Appellate Body question. On Tuesday, MEPs adopted their position on this reform (see EUROPE 12141).
The thorny issue of sanctions on European cars is still pending. No decision has yet been taken in Washington on the content and timing of the Section 232 investigation report on vehicle imports, Garcia Bercero said.
If necessary, the Commission's response will be firm, the European negotiator added: a compensation list has been ready since July, and all ongoing discussions will be frozen.
Presidents Juncker and Trump could meet on the margins of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires at the end of November. (original version in French by Hermine Donceel)