Cargo Release, Single-Window Language Among Areas of Recent TTIP Progress
The EU and the U.S. advanced Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership language on cargo release, single-window development and data requirements during the latest negotiations in New York Oct. 3-7, according to a European Commission (EC) summary of the latest talks (here). Discussions of the 15th round also “touched upon” joint development of trusted trader programs and harmonization of data requirements. Work also continued on procedures for temporary admission of goods and customs treatment of goods returned after repair (see 1608040025), according to the summary. While the EU and U.S. have completed the bulkiest negotiations on tariff elimination on industrial products, the parties in New York also discussed increasing the number of tariff lines to become duty-free upon entry into force the EC, said.
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Neither side is planning a new tariff offer, but the remaining tariffs to agree upon are “well defined and limited in number,” the report said. Each side flagged specific agricultural export interests and requested to shorten proposed staging periods for reduction of agricultural tariffs, but products identified as most sensitive, composing about 3 percent of tariff lines under negotiation, weren’t reviewed. The parties also discussed positions on wine, spirits and agricultural export competition, the summary said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn’t comment.
The parties also discussed product-specific rules of origin, including for textiles, a topic for which parties “worked on bridging the gap” between differing approaches in drafting the rules, and examined U.S. proposals for origin verification and substantiation of issues other than preferences, the EC said. "Detailed discussions” also continued on U.S. and EU general textile chapter proposals (see 1607140019). More broadly, the parties also talked about conditions necessary to claim preferential origin status, requirements to deny rule-of-origin preferences, cumulation scenarios and definitions for value rules. The U.S. and EU compared U.S. thresholds for industrial products submitted before the round, as both parties have tabled proposals on almost all product-specific rules, the Council report said. Prior to the New York round, parties held first discussions on Harmonized System Chapter 1 (Live Animals) to Chapter 24 (Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes).
Chief U.S. and EU negotiators and team leads briefly discussed geographical indications (GIs), and both sides “reiterated their positions,” according to the summary. Speaking earlier this month, U.S. and EU chief TTIP negotiators said they expected rigorous GI negotiations ahead (see 1610070025). The EU’s stance on the issue has sparked concern from U.S. lawmakers (see 1610040016).