A free trade agreement between Washington and London "not in the short term"

A free trade agreement between Washington and London “not in the short term”

Posted On: October 23, 2022

The strengthening of trade relations between the United States and the United Kingdom will not happen in the short term through a bilateral free trade agreement sought by the British prime minister, an official from the main US employers said on Tuesday. “There is a shared desire to find ways to improve the relationship. I don’t think it will be through a free trade agreement, at least not in the short term.Marjorie Chorlins, vice president for European affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, told a news conference.

Marjorie Chorlins participated this Monday in Baltimore (Maryland) in the debates that will take place until Tuesday in the presence of the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and the British Minister for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan. “There was no talk yesterday (Monday) of a return to the negotiating table“, She explained. These were interrupted with the arrival of the Joe Biden administration last year. “On the contrary, I think the message, which was clearly conveyed, was a desire, if not to go back (to the negotiating table), then to find creative ways to improve the relationship. So I don’t see a free trade agreement emerging any time soon.“, She continued.

The free trade agreement with the United States was one of the main priorities of the British after Brexit. But if the administration of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) was willing to enter into a bilateral agreement with London and had even carried out a series of negotiations, that of Joe Biden let the process die and does not seem to be in a hurry to restart. it’s. In addition, the United States has conditioned a potential agreement on strict compliance with the Northern Ireland peace agreement.

The head of the US Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, was more optimistic about the two countries’ ability to quickly resolve their dispute over steel and aluminum. The British minister and the American ambassador had mentioned on Monday “Good progressin discussions towards a deal to end punitive tariffs on British steel and aluminum imposed in June 2018 by Donald Trump. “The two sides are negotiating very aggressively to resolve the steel and aluminum dispute.“Marjorie Chorlins stressed. If the two sides manage to announce a deal on Tuesday, “that would be great (…) as a lot of US and UK non-steel and aluminum exports are subject to tariffs“, he concluded.