After years of against each other on trade, the United States and European officials are considering a dramatic change direction: unite, this may be the world's largest free trade agreement, trying to improve their struggling economy.
Discussion is in the preliminary stage, there will be a major obstacle to overcome, including agriculture, food security and climate change legislation sharp differences. However, top the European Union and the United States officials say they want to see it happen. The United States and the main labor groups, often is the biggest opponent, America's trade agreement, said, it will not be able to tolerate way.
Last month, secretary of state Hillary Clinton hinted at a trans-atlantic relations speech, Obama government interests.
, "Clinton said," if we get this right, the agreement, open the market of trade liberalization will support our next century global competitiveness, and create employment opportunities for our economy produce hundreds of billions of dollars.
European officials also said, including the eu affairs commissioner carlo dracula hutt trade, enthusiasm. Both sides are waiting for a week to submit reports, by their appointed a working group to study the problem. Positive Suggestions, may lead to early next year of negotiations.
Take a big free trade agreement in Washington is interested in some sort of surprise. American free trade negotiations have a difficulty, because the political debate, and filled with Mexico and Canada's north American free trade agreement in 1991. Since then, it has become more and more difficult to push congress to pass bulk trading labor group against. And individual countries, including Peru and the republic of Korea, the smaller the deal had been approved.
Also has stopped efforts to negotiations over 150 countries in the world trade organization to further reduce tariffs, in recent years, in the United States and the European Union differences.
Negotiators are facing a series of difficult problems, have led to the transatlantic trade dispute. Both sides are now fight on the eu's carbon trading plan, punishment does not conform to the standards of airlines. There can be significant differences of intellectual property law enforcement and food safety problems. More widely said, agricultural problems, including the European Union to genetically modified food and pesticide use restrictions, it is possible to challenge of negotiations. Tyson buck said, who sent in German bertelsmann foundation Washington office trans-atlantic relations, the French in agriculture are particularly sensitive.
"It will be plain sailing, in Europe, any imagination," he said.
In the United States, the negotiation seems to have support large enterprises and large labor.
The union has not before the United States and developing countries of the free trade agreement, they think American workers will at a competitive disadvantage, because bad environmental and Labour standards in these countries will be able to lower wages. But the great American labor the umbrella organization, the afl-cio said, it will not have those in dealing with the eu's attention, argued that the European social welfare and environmental standards than the United States
"The afl-cio think, increase the economic and trade relations with the European Union to the United States and European workers union said," in a statement, the working group a potential deal.
Reduce surprisingly, the idea, under the support of the United States chamber of commerce said the deal is likely to have a fairly large economy is always good for both sides.
The European Union and the United States customs between the already very low, with an average of 5% to 7%. But because of the huge size of the market, even if the marginal cut may have a big economic impact. The European international political and economic center of a study estimates, and elimination of duties is to stimulate the U.S. exports to the eu as high as 18% to 17% and the European Union export in another direction. The United States chamber of commerce said, a transaction may increase 180 billion dollars in the United States and the European Union's economy in five years, see the larger income more than the European Union and the United States. A potential trade can also reduce trade downsizing regulations and expand mutual recognition, the use of product standard.
"The opportunity is there, it is golden., chase, the European chamber of commerce vice President Peter said:" we should take it. Chase said it is likely to be the two sides will launch next year's talks, but he thought the negotiator's challenge.
He said the two sides had negotiated transaction, but smaller economies, and as such becomes a powerful position negotiations. In this case, they will be roughly equal to.




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