EU, US trade bosses commit to Doha progress
EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and the new US Trade Representative Ron Kirk have agreed to intensify efforts to bring the Doha round of trade talks to a conclusion.
In a joint statement issued after a meeting in Washington DC yesterday, the two parties said they are committed to intensifying efforts “to ensure that our bilateral trade relations and our cooperation on multilateral issues of common interest make the strongest possible contribution to global economic recovery”.
Consensus is seen as especially important in the harsh economic climate. Amongst the specific points they agreed upon is the “importance of achieving an ambitious and balanced outcome to the WTO Doha Development Agenda as soon as possible”, and “the importance of following through on the pledge G20 Leaders made in November to refrain from raising new barriers to investment or to trade in goods and services”.
