EU/US Trade, 2013

In their negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the European Union and the United States aim at removing trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors to make it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US. On top of cutting tariffs across all sectors, the EU and the US want to tackle barriers behind the customs border – such as differences in technical regulations, standards and approval procedures. These often cost unnecessary time and money for companies who want to sell their products on both markets. For example, when a car is approved as safe in the EU, it has to undergo a new approval procedure in the US even though the safety standards are similar. The TTIP negotiations will also look at opening both markets for services, investment, and public procurement. The focus of the upcoming second round of negotiations, taking place in Brussels on 11-15 November 2013, is for the EU and the US negotiators to make progress on regulatory issues and standards. On this occasion the Audiovisual Service of the European Commission has produced a stockshot which contains pictures of: - EU Exports; - General views of New York and Washington DC; - Baltimore Port; - US Customs; - European Car Imports; - Agriculture; - European Drink Imports; - Banks; - Public Procurement.