Washington, D.C. – United States Trade Representative Michael Froman issued the following statement at the conclusion of the third round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) negotiations:
“As 2013 comes to a close, I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made in these early months of the T-TIP negotiations. In addition to the three rounds of negotiations we have conducted since we launched the negotiations in June, our teams have been engaging with each other between rounds, and working hard back home to prepare for productive meetings. It is a measure of progress that we are firmly in the phase of discussing proposals on core elements of each of the main negotiating areas, as well as beginning to confront and reconcile our differences on many important issues. We have a lot of work to do in 2014, but I am optimistic about what we’ll be able to accomplish in the coming year. There is strong conviction on both sides that we have the opportunity in T-TIP to make our trade relationship a substantially stronger driver of transatlantic jobs, growth, and competitiveness.”
Negotiators are planning discussions in early 2014, in order to make additional progress before the fourth round, which will be scheduled during the first quarter of 2014 in Brussels.
