Press Release: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Commissioner Karel De Gucht welcomes Member States’ green light to start negotiations

EU Trade Ministers within the Council of the European Union agreed on the 14 June 2013 to give the European Commission the mandate to start trade and investment negotiations with the United States. However, upon the insistance of France EU ministers agreed to exclude cultural industries from the negotiations, at least from the initial mandate.

The mandate is composed of a decision of the Council and a decision of the representatives of the member states authorising the opening of negotiations, as well as directives for the negotiation of the agreement. The directives foresee an agreement made up of three key components: market access; regulatory issues and non-tariff barriers; and rules.

The Council agreed that audiovisual services would not be covered in the mandate, but that the European Commission would have the opportunity to make recommendations on additional negotiating mandates.

The negotiations would formally open at the G8 summit in Belfast, 1718 June 2013. The first round of substantive negotiations would take place in Washington in July 2013.

On the 18 June 2013 the EUObserver wrote that a senior French politician has said European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso should quit because he called France "reactionary" on trade.

European Commission: RAPID: MEMO/13/564: Member States endorse EU-US trade and investment negotiations http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-564_en.htm

European Commission: DG Trade: Policy: In focus: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/ttip/

ESO: Background Information: Governments to give green light for US trade talks http://www.europeansources.info/record/governments-to-give-green-light-for-us-trade-talks/

EUObserver, 15.06.13: EU-US trade talks to start after France wins culture clause http://euobserver.com/economic/120507

Council of the European Union: Press Release, PRES/13/255: Council approves launch of trade and investment negotiations with the United States http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/137485.pdf

Reuters, 14.06.13: France agrees to start of EU-U.S. trade talks: EU officials http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/14/us-eu-us-trade-agreement-idUSBRE95D0ZE20130614

Wikipedia: EU–US Free Trade Agreement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU%E2%80%93US_Free_Trade_Agreement

Wikipedia: Transatlantic Free Trade Area http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Free_Trade_Area

France24, 15.06.13: EU reaches deal on French ‘cultural exception’ http://www.france24.com/en/20130615-eu-deal-french-cultural-exception-usa-trade

EurActiv, 15.06.13: France backs EU-US trade talks after winning culture battle http://www.euractiv.com/trade/france-backs-eu-us-trade-talks-w-news-528587

EUObserver, 18.06.13: Leaders fire starting gun for EU-US trade talks http://euobserver.com/economic/120528

European Commission: RAPID: SPEECH/13/544: Statement by President Barroso on the EU-US trade agreement with U.S. President Barack Obama, the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and UK Prime Minister David Cameron http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-544_en.htm

EurActiv, 18.06.13: EU, US leaders kick-off transatlantic trade talks http://www.euractiv.com/trade/eu-us-leaders-kick-transatlantic-news-528668

EUObserver, 18.06.13: Paris and Brussels in war of words on US trade http://euobserver.com/economic/120530

New York Times, 16.06.13: European Official Takes on the French http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/business/global/european-union-divided-before-g-8-meeting.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

ESO: Background Information: Statement by President Barroso on the EU-US trade agreement with U.S. President Barack Obama, the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and UK Prime Minister David Cameron http://www.europeansources.info/record/speech-statement-by-president-barroso-on-the-eu-us-trade-agreement-with-u-s-president-barack-obama-the-president-of-the-european-council-herman-van-rompuy-and-uk-prime-minister-david-cameron/

ESO: Background Information: Joint statement by European Commission President Barroso and European Council President Van Rompuy after the G8 Summit in Lough Erne (UK), 17-18 June 2013 http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-joint-statement-by-european-commission-president-barroso-and-european-council-president-van-rompuy-after-the-g8-summit-in-lough-erne-uk-17-18-june-2013/

ESO: Background Information: The EU's free trade agreements – where are we? http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-eus-free-trade-agreements-where-are-we/

Blog: Public Service Europe, 19.06.13: EU-US free trade: who will be the winners and losers? http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/3616/eu-us-free-trade-who-will-be-the-winners-and-losers

EUObserver, 24.06.13: US enthusiastic about trade deal despite culture opt-out http://euobserver.com/economic/120604

ESO: Background information: Remarks by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy on the occasion of the launch of the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-remarks-by-president-of-the-european-council-herman-van-rompuy-on-the-occasion-of-the-launch-of-the-eu-us-transatlantic-trade-and-investment-partnership-ttip/

---