The Executive Committee of the European Union (EC), which represents 28 EU member states in trade agreement negotiations, has proposed two negotiation authorizations for approval by member governments. One is to reduce tariffs on industrial products, the other is to simplify customs clearance procedures for products.
"The authorization documents being circulated are far from meeting the requirements of President Juncker and President Trump's discussions in Washington last July. The idea of the July agreement is to have a broad dialogue on all aspects of our relationship, "Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, said at the American Chamber of Commerce Business Conference in Brussels.
Last July, President Trump and Juncker reached an agreement not to impose tariffs on European Union vehicles imported to the United States while working to improve economic relations, thus ending months of deadlock.
So far, EU governments have failed to reach agreement on launching formal trade negotiations. Germany urges them to start as soon as possible, while France calls for more time to consider.
Sondland says procrastination can have consequences.
"The more EU leaders adopt procrastination tactics, the more we need to use our chips to readjust our relationship," he said.
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