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Voice of America, EU Officials Have Tough Trade Message for White House

EU Officials Have Tough Trade Message for White House

It is not by chance these top European diplomats are starting off 2007 with a visit Monday to Washington D.C. They want a global trade agreement, they want it now and they believe the Bush Administration is standing in the way.

The five-year-long "Doha Round" of world trade talks broke down last summer, primarily over subsidies to American farmers, which the U.S. refused to cut to levels agreeable to Europe. Private negotiating has nudged the issue forward.

Peter Power, a spokesman for EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, says the delegation will urge Mr. Bush to make the deal now.

"Our pitch to him will be that this is a very important moment, a very important moment that should be grasped," said Peter Power. "Real leadership should be shown and that there is the makings of the deal on the table." The United States has said other countries have not made sufficient concessions to warrant a steeper reduction in agricultural subsidies. Power disagrees.

"The U.S. needs to come to the table with a genuine and serious offer in terms of what it can do in this area," he said. The Europeans are also hoping for support from Democrats now in control of Congress. EU Commission spokesman Peter Power says the commission sees the Democratic Party as friendlier than the Republicans toward liberalizing markets and services worldwide.

"It's quite clear that the Democrats are by and large multilateralist," noted Peter Power. "We firmly believe they are genuinely committed to it and it's a question of tapping into that political good will." EU officials say the delegation may meet with the new Democratic leadership ahead of their meeting with the president.


EU Officials Have Tough Trade Message for White House Les responsables de l'UE ont un message commercial dur pour la Maison Blanche

It is not by chance these top European diplomats are starting off 2007 with a visit Monday to Washington D.C. They want a global trade agreement, they want it now and they believe the Bush Administration is standing in the way. Ils veulent un accord commercial mondial, ils le veulent maintenant et ils croient que l'administration Bush fait obstacle.

The five-year-long "Doha Round" of world trade talks broke down last summer, primarily over subsidies to American farmers, which the U.S. Le "cycle de Doha", qui dure depuis cinq ans, a échoué l'été dernier, principalement à cause des subventions aux agriculteurs américains, que les États-Unis refused to cut to levels agreeable to Europe. a refusé de réduire à des niveaux acceptables pour l'Europe. Private negotiating has nudged the issue forward. La négociation privée a fait avancer la question.

Peter Power, a spokesman for EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, says the delegation will urge Mr. Bush to make the deal now. Peter Power, un porte-parole du commissaire européen au commerce Peter Mandelson, a déclaré que la délégation exhorterait M. Bush à conclure l'accord maintenant.

"Our pitch to him will be that this is a very important moment, a very important moment that should be grasped," said Peter Power. "Notre argumentaire envers lui sera que c'est un moment très important, un moment très important qui doit être saisi", a déclaré Peter Power. "Real leadership should be shown and that there is the makings of the deal on the table." "Un véritable leadership doit être démontré et les ingrédients de l'accord sont sur la table." The United States has said other countries have not made sufficient concessions to warrant a steeper reduction in agricultural subsidies. Les États-Unis ont déclaré que d'autres pays n'avaient pas fait suffisamment de concessions pour justifier une réduction plus prononcée des subventions agricoles. Power disagrees.

"The U.S. needs to come to the table with a genuine and serious offer in terms of what it can do in this area," he said. doit venir à la table avec une offre authentique et sérieuse en termes de ce qu'elle peut faire dans ce domaine », a-t-il déclaré. The Europeans are also hoping for support from Democrats now in control of Congress. EU Commission spokesman Peter Power says the commission sees the Democratic Party as friendlier than the Republicans toward liberalizing markets and services worldwide. Le porte-parole de la Commission européenne, Peter Power, a déclaré que la commission considère le Parti démocrate comme plus favorable que les républicains à la libéralisation des marchés et des services dans le monde.

"It's quite clear that the Democrats are by and large multilateralist," noted Peter Power. "We firmly believe they are genuinely committed to it and it's a question of tapping into that political good will." "Nous croyons fermement qu'ils y sont véritablement engagés et il s'agit de puiser dans cette bonne volonté politique." EU officials say the delegation may meet with the new Democratic leadership ahead of their meeting with the president.