EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Tuesday as part of the Executive Working Group, and Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas announced on Monday 7 January.
According to him, the meeting takes place within the framework of the agreement of 25 July between the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the American President, Donald Trump, to advance the new trade agenda between the EU and the United States.
In recent months, Brussels and Washington have blamed each other for the lack of progress on the roadmap, which aimed to deepen the trade relationship between the two entities. Their last meeting, in mid-November (see EUROPE 12137), apparently did not unblock the situation, especially since the US trade deficit with Europe in 2018 should reach new records (see EUROPE 12134,12155).
On Wednesday 9 January, Ms Malmström will also discuss unfair commercial practices with her American and Japanese counterparts, focusing mainly on Chinese practices of forced technology transfer and the role of state-owned enterprises.
Soybean imports up
In addition, according to the Commission, imports of American soya by the European Union increased by 112% in the current market year (July-December 2018) compared to the same period of the previous year, the European Commission announced on Monday 7 January. The United States remains the EU's largest supplier of soya, accounting for 74.5% of imports, well ahead of Brazil (39%). The EU is also the leading destination for US soybean exports (28%), followed by Argentina (10%) and Mexico (9%).
The Commission has also launched the procedure to authorise the use of US soya for biofuels in Europe. The draft decision is expected to be adopted in the coming weeks, it said. According to the Commission's assessment, the 'U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol' submitted by American soybean exporters meets the mandatory sustainability requirements of Community legislation for their use in biofuels.
See the draft decision: https://bit.ly/2sc7Gnt. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Hermine Donceel)