EU rejects US demand that agriculture be part of trade talks


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's top trade official insists that the agricultural sector cannot be included in negotiations on a new trade agreement with the United States, as the U.S. has demanded.

After receiving the backing of EU ministers in Brussels Monday, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters that "there is absolutely no possibility to include agriculture in these discussions."

Malmstrom said the Europeans are ready to start negotiations on industrial tariffs with the U.S. but that "they seem not to be, yet. We have conflicting mandates there."

The EU announced more than a month ago that it was ready to negotiate a trans-Atlantic deal focused exclusively on eliminating tariffs on industrial goods, but the U.S. wants talks to be broader.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent Business stories

Related topics

Business
The Associated Press
    KSL.com Beyond Business
    KSL.com Beyond Series

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button