Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 3/13/19



The text of a draft agreement between the United States and the European Union is being circulated to the EU member states and discussions should begin this week, an EU Council spokeswoman confirmed for Meatingplace in an email.

The two sides have been working on a deal since October. The goal is to boost the import of U.S. beef, a category that the U.S. contends has been unfairly allotted to other beef exporting countries such as Australia and Uruguay.

The hormone-free beef imports at issue are not part of the wider discussions on improving EU-US trade relations launched last summer between the EU and the White House.

The agreement is far from inked yet. If EU member states view the draft of the agreement “positively,” the spokeswoman explained, then the commission will have to consult with the other beneficiaries of the current quota in the category, and then submit formal proposals for the signing and conclusion of the agreement.

To finalize the process, after the adoption by the EU Council, the European Parliament will have to give its consent.

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