Brussels / Washington, 02/08/2002 (Agence Europe) - Pascal Lamy, European Trade Commissioner, warmly welcomed the "go ahead" from the US Senate to the clean negotiating authority that George W. Bush and his Administration have sought to obtain for the past eighteen months since taking over office. Better known by the name of "fast track", the Trade Promotion Authority allows the Executive to negotiate trade agreements without fear of having its efforts crushed by Congress, as was the case more than once during the Clinton era. Thus, renouncing their power one week after the House of Representatives to amend these agreements involving legislative change, whether bilateral, regional or multilateral, the Senators agree to simply endorse them or reject them on mass during five years. The decision, which no longer requires the signature of the President for implementation, eliminates a major stumbling block, mainly for the Doha Development Agenda, stresses Mr Lamy, hoping that it will be used to generate real impetus in these negotiations. It is a "landmark victory" for the American people, for the US economy and for the world, his counterpart Robert Zoellick said enthusiastically. Without Fast Track for eight years, America has slipped back and its export products "from tractors, to software to French fries have been squeezed out of markets". The Trade Representative believes that the United States is now able to conclude trade agreements with Chile and Singapore within several months, to promote the agenda for the new world round including recent proposals with a view to long term agricultural reform and aggressive initiatives on services and industry, to immediately proceed to opening up the US market to developing countries of Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean, to launch new free trade talks with Central America and Morocco, and perhaps also with Australia and South Africa, and put pressure on for settling pan-American negotiations by end 2004 … In short, "with TPA, we can get back to the crucial task at hand: expanding markets to benefit our farmers, workers and families", concluded Mr Zoellick.