Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Monday, 19 March 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 21 March 2007. It was answered by Geoffrey Hoon (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

World Trade: USA

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Chairman of the EU Council of Ministers on progress towards a barrier-free transatlantic market.

Answer: As I set out in my written answer to the hon. Member on 27 February 2007, Official Report, columns 1196-97W, the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) remains our top trade priority, but we welcome German proposals to tackle non-tariff barriers between the EU and US, which are not part of the DDA negotiations.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister attended the 8-9 March European Council in Brussels. Discussions covered a wide range of issues, including the EU-US relationship. Council Working Groups in Brussels have been discussing deepening EU-US Economic Co-operation and preparations for the EU-US summit more broadly.We remain a strong supporter of promoting EU-US economic co-operation and integration in this sense and are keen to see further progress under the German presidency. Deepening economic co-operation between the EU and the US will not only bring the benefits of helping to remove remaining barriers to trade and investment but also serve as a positive step towards a more flexible and efficient global economy.We will continue discussions with the Commission, our EU partners and the US in the run up to the EU-US summit on 30 April.

Secondary information