During a first round table discussion on the two draft trade negotiation mandates with the United States on Friday, 1 February, Member State trade diplomats showed broad support for European trade policy in Washington.
The first of these mandates is a trade agreement focused on the elimination of tariffs on non agricultural market access (NAMA). This distinction, in line with the classification applied by the WTO, includes everything but market access for agricultural products, i.e. industrial products, but also fisheries and forestry products.
The second mandate is for conformity assessments.
According to a European source, this first exchange of views, during which the technical aspect of the mandates was not discussed, revealed above all significant support for the commercial strategy adopted by the European Commission with President Trump's administration. Indeed, the Commission strictly adheres to the line defined by the joint statement of the Presidents in July 2018 and the conclusions of the Sofia Summit. Both mandates contain essential suspensive clauses conditional on the US trade sanctions policy under section 232.
As for the absence, in these limited agreements, of a chapter on sustainable development and a reference to the Paris Climate Agreement, the European chancelleries concede that maintaining dialogue with the Trump administration effectively bans these references.
The Member States must now agree on the chronology of this strategy, which will result not only from the US calendar but also from the role of the European Parliament.
He said that Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany) would prepare a report against these negotiating directives, a position that could slow down the Council's ambition.
These issues will be addressed at the informal meeting of European Trade Ministers, scheduled to take place in Bucharest on 20 and 21 February 2019. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)