The European Commission welcomes today's decision by the Council to adopt the negotiating direct`ives for trade talks with the United States, thus continuing to deliver on the implementation of the Joint Statement agreed by Presidents Juncker and Trump in July 2018.

European Union Member States gave the Commission the green light to start formal negotiations with the U.S. on two agreements, one on conformity assessment, and the other on eliminating tariffs on industrial products.

This is just three months after the European Commission had put forward the mandates and in line with the conclusions of the March European Council, during which EU leaders called for a “rapid implementation of all elements of the U.S.-EU Joint Statement of 25 July 2018”.