EU trade chief travels to USA and Central America to foster transatlantic trade ties

In the month of June 2011, the Europea Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht would travel to Washington where he would meet with representatives of the US Administration, Congress and business to discuss the way forward in the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) of international trade talks and the further development of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) as a key instrument of transatlantic relations. He would then travel to Guatemala, to represent the European Union at the International Central America Security Strategy Conference.

Together with Trade and Foreign Affairs Ministers of Central America who he would meet at this occasion and on his further stop in Costa Rica, he would underline their joint commitment to a speedy ratification and implementation of the EU - Central America Association Agreement which in its comprehensive trade pillar foresees to fully open both markets for industrial exports.

• Primary Source

European Commission: Speech/11/477: Karel De Gucht: On the EU's trade relations with Central America http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/477&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: Memo/11/429: Highlights of the trade pillar of the Association Agreement between Central America and the European Union http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/429&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

EU: EEAS: United States of America and the EU https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/2339/united-states-america_en

European Commission: DG Trade: Countries and regions: Central America http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/regions/central-america/

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