EU-US trade talks imminent, as commission agrees mandate

The European Commission has agreed its negotiating mandate for an EU-US trade deal, paving the way for talks to begin before the summer break.

Speaking on Tuesday (12 March), trade commissioner Karel de Gucht, who will lead the EU's negotiating team, told reporters in Strasbourg that both he and his US counterparts were aiming for a quick agreement on "one tank of gas."

He said that a deal could be concluded before the 2014 European elections next June, a timing which would also ...