WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Charles Rangel (D-NY) issued the following statements following the President’s announcement in the State of the Union address that the United States will begin negotiating a trade agreement with the European Union:
LEVIN: “I very much welcome the President’s intention to work on a transatlantic trade agreement with the European Union. Europe today imposes a number of barriers to U.S. exports, ranging from auto regulations that are inconsistent with U.S. standards, to unjustifiable restrictions on U.S. agricultural exports. These negotiations provide a rare opportunity to expand U.S. exports of goods and services by eliminating tariff and, especially, non-tariff barriers in Europe, our second largest export market after Canada. Just as important, an effective transatlantic trade agreement between two of the largest trading partners in the world would help to establish new rules and a new framework for global trade, promoting a market-based economic model. That model can serve as a viable alternative to the disturbing trend emerging in some countries toward greater state control over trade flows and greater support for state-owned and state-controlled enterprises."
RANGEL: “The American people share many principles and values with the people of Europe. A transatlantic trade agreement can help bring us even closer together. Our ambitions should be high, particularly with respect to resolving regulatory differences. Too often in the past, EU and U.S. regulators have developed different regulations to achieve common objectives. Our negotiators should work to make those regulations more compatible, while still achieving the same high level of protections for our people."
