On the eve of the European Parliament's plenary vote on two draft trade negotiation mandates with the United States on Thursday, 14 March, Washington says the negotiations are on track.
The proposals for directives drawn up by the European Commission concern one on a trade agreement limited to non-agricultural market access and the other on conformity assessments (see EUROPE 12175/1).
Shortly after the favourable vote of the members of the Committee on International Trade on 19 February (see EUROPE 12197/22), the Member States' trade ministers, at an informal meeting in Bucharest, agreed to wait for the European Parliament's vote the week of 11 March before endorsing the mandates (see EUROPE 12200/1).
However, the vote in plenary will be close. The socialists are united against new negotiations with Washington. In addition, campaigning MEPs fear that the spectre of the TTIP (ex-TAFTA), the failed negotiations with the United States, which had caused an outcry in several EU countries, particularly in France, will be stirred up. There have therefore been calls from the French political class for guarantees, particularly on the exclusion of agriculture from the talks (see EUROPE 12171/10). In this context, some members of the EPP may be tempted to abstain.
Message received?
On the US side, the message conveyed in Washington by Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström during her meeting with her counterpart, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, on 6 March and by European Commission Secretary General Martin Selmayr with US National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow on 7 March in the framework of the EU-US Executive Working Group seems to have been well received (see EUROPE 12210/18).
Describing the talks as "constructive", Mr. Kudlow told Bloomberg on Friday, 8 March, that they were moving "in the right direction". "The EU is helping us with China", he also stressed, "the EU is giving China a very difficult time on exactly the same structural issues that we are discussing with the Chinese", added Mr Kudlow. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)