Brussels, 02/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - The new European Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson, will meet the American Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick, in Paris on Monday. This will be the first time the two men have met since Mr Mandelson took up his duties on 22 November. Talks will focus mainly on the general state of play with multilateral negotiations at the WTO and on bilateral trade disputes, such as State aid to Airbus and Boeing, or the prospect of European sanctions against American anti-dumping legislation ("Byrd Amendment": see EUROPE of 30 November, p.8).
In a speech before the Transatlantic Policy Network in Brussels on Thursday, Mr Mandelson reiterated the great importance he will place on the development of transatlantic relations. "My commitment to European and to the transatlantic relationship have been the twin pillars of my politics all my adult life", he said. After a difficult period for relations with Washington, "it is time for us to make a fresh start", said the Commissioner, who refuted the idea that the European Union and the United States no longer share the same fundamental values. However, Mr Mandelson admitted that transatlantic relations must become more balanced, leading to a "less unequal partnership" in which the EU will be "more united, more able and more willing to take a role of global responsibility and leadership and one where the US is more inclined to share leadership in working with a more effective, more united Europe". In the field of trade, the "top priority" on either side of the Atlantic will be to conclude multilateral negotiations at the WTO (Doha round). Bilaterally, transatlantic trade must be facilitated by reducing such elements as regulatory and structural obstacles.
The creation of a transatlantic free-trade area is not an issue, the Commissioner noted.