Trade: EU-US negotiations must tackle both tariff and non-tariff barriers

At the end of July 2018, Jean-Claude Juncker (European Commission President) and Donald Trump (US President) agreed to work together toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers and zero subsidies on industrial goods. In January 2019, the European Commission published the draft negotiating mandates for the forthcoming the EU-US trade negotiations. In April 2019, the Council gave the European Commission two mandates to negotiate with the US on elimination of industrial tariffs and on conformity assessment. An EU-US dialogue on standards will also take place. In this context, it remains essential to make progress in these uncertain times. 

A trade agreement between the EU and the US would be an important step towards increasing transatlantic trade flows. The annual value of transatlantic trade in products manufactured by Europe’s technology industries currently stands at €93 billion. To maximise the potential to increase this value, Orgalim believes a future EU-US trade agreement should address several objectives such as tariffs, rules of origin, and standards. 

To read our recommendations for an effective EU-US trade agreement in full, please download the position paper above.