The European Council has authorised the Commission to open negotiations on an agreement with the United States on imports of beef from animals not treated with certain growth-promoting hormones. The permission was granted on 19 October.

The Council also adopted a mandate for the negotiations, which will review the functioning of the existing quota for imports of hormone-free beef into the EU.

Hormone-free beef imports are not part of the wider discussions on improving EU-US trade relations launched following the 25 July meeting between Presidents Juncker and Trump.

Major step

However, it is thought that if a solution is found to the long-standing dispute over beef, it would be a major step forward in improving trade cooperation.

“It is clear that any solution, must respect the EU's high food quality and safety standards. As other Member States, we are proud of the high quality of our products and the work of the agriculture sector,” Margarete Schrambök, president of the Council said.

The negotiations are not meant to affect the EU ban on hormone-treated beef, it remains in place. The EU and the US agreed on an interim solution in 2009, later revised in 2014, which grants a tariff rate quota (TRQ) for hormone-free beef imports of 45,000t. In line with WTO rules, this TRQ is also available to exporters from other WTO member countries.

The Commission is not authorised to negotiate an increase in the existing TRQ but can discuss a country-specific allocation of the overall quota.

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