— EU Trade Commissioner Also Sees Progress in Removing US-EU Agricultural Barriers
By Laurie Laird
DUBLIN (Mace News) – The European Union will offer a resolution to the bitter dispute between the EU and the U.S. over subsidies to aircraft manufacturers as soon as Friday, according to the EU Trade Commissioner, Philip Hogan.
Addressing journalists at the Royal Irish Academy, Hogan spoke of “more proposals today” in concluding a long-running battle over state aid to aerospace companies, after years of wrangling under the dispute mechanism of the World Trade Organisation.
And in a further sign of warmer trade relations between the two economic powers, Hogan floated the idea of “self certification” as a way of removing non-tariff barriers in the sensitive area of agricultural trade.
Crucially, Hogan stressed that the EU would not demand change in any congressionally-mandated regulations on food safety, raising the possibility of the EU accepting imports of chemically-washed poultry, long opposed by EU officials. In return for accepting U.S. photosanitary standards, the EU will seek better access to the U.S. markets for European apples, pears and shellfish.
Hogan’s comments come just weeks after a visit to Washington, during which the EU trade commissioner publicly rebuked U.S. trade officials on their own turf. When asked his warmer relationship with his U.S. counterpart, Robert Lighthizer, Hogan replied, “I’m just that kind of guy.”
The commissioner also expressed cautious optimism that the EU may strike a trade deal with the UK, despite British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s self-imposed deadline of July 1st. “With political good will, we can get a lot done,” he said. The softer tone contrasts widely with Hogan’s speech on Thursday, in which he lamented the “rhetoric” and “grandstanding” of the UK trade position. The UK formally exited the EU on January 31st, but will comply with European rules until the end of 2020.