Iers Voorzitterschap verwelkomt nieuwe Amerikaanse handelsvertegenwoordiger (en)

Irish Presidency aiming to secure Council agreement on negotiating mandateby end-June

The nomination today of Mike Froman as the new US Trade Representative has been welcomed by Irish Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, current chair of the EU Trade Council.

Mike Froman, who was formerly US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, was earlier today nominated by US President Obama to take over as the United States’s top trade negotiator.

Mr Froman attended the recent EU Trade Council informal meeting in Dublin of EU Trade Ministers where the potential new Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership was discussed. In March, Minister Bruton met Mr Froman in Washington to discuss the potential for a new EU-US trade deal.

Minister Bruton commented: “I congratulate Mike Froman on his nomination as the new US Trade Representative. He showed a great commitment to achieving the significant potential benefits to economic growth and jobs from a new EU-US trade deal when he met with EU Trade Ministers in Dublin in April. His nomination is a boost to the chances of achieving progress on a new deal.”

Minister Bruton - “I am aiming to secure agreement on the EU mandate before the end of the Irish Presidency in June. I look forward to continuing to work with my Ministerial counterparts from across the EU to deliver on this important piece of work.”

“The Irish Presidency has prioritised stability, growth and jobs. A new trade deal has the potential to provide a real boost to economic growth and job creation, without the need for increased expenditure by Governments. That is why I am working hard to move this process forward.”

ENDS