The United States said Monday that the European Union has backed away from a pledge to cut duties on American imports, adding to tensions over tariffs as the world’s largest commercial partners seek a trade deal.
Reducing $10.5 billion in tariffs between the U.S. and the EU was a goal in a report last year on the proposed Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The U.S. complained after the EU’s top trade official last month said the U.S. offer to remove tariffs wasn’t ambitious enough.
“The United States remains committed to the goal, written into the High Level Working Group Report and endorsed by both our leaders, of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade,” Trevor Kincaid, a spokesman for the U.S. trade representative’s office, said in an emailed statement. “Recent actions by the EU seem to back away from this goal.”
The disagreement highlights challenges in reaching a trade accord between the U.S. and 28-nation EU, which would expand the world’s largest bilateral commercial relationship. The two sides have sparred for decades on issues including agricultural protections and food-safety standards. Negotiators this week are meeting in Brussels to continue talks to create the world’s largest free-trade area.
Business, Pages 28 on 03/25/2014