British Readout of Trade Talks for US FTA Says 'Progress Being Made'
Testimony by Liz Truss, the United Kingdom's international trade secretary, revealed that no chapters have been closed yet in negotiations with the U.S., and suggests that barriers to U.S. exports of poultry and beef and price controls on pharmaceutical drugs continue to be sensitive areas for the British. Truss was updating Parliament about the second round of negotiations on a free trade agreement with the U.S.
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“Talks continued to be positive and constructive, with progress being made towards a comprehensive agreement. Discussions spanned the majority of areas covered by the FTA, with further sessions coming over the next two weeks on the remaining major policy areas,” she said. “This follows almost 20 intersessional meetings held in between rounds one and two.
“The Government is clear there is no set deadline for this agreement. Any deal the Government strikes must be fair, reciprocal and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy. Furthermore, the Government remains clear on protecting the NHS [National Health Service] and not compromising on the UK's high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards.”
She said another round is expected in late July, and the next topics on deck are rules of origin, market access, digital, telecommunications, intellectual property and business mobility.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has not summarized the round.