Press Release: EU and US reach provisional agreement in beef dispute

EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk agreed in principle on a way forward in the long-running dispute over hormone-treated beef. They issued the following statement after the call:

'Following a very good discussion today, we have reached an understanding that provides a pragmatic way forward in the long-running beef dispute. An agreement is in our mutual interest, and we will now discuss this with our respective stakeholders and constituencies in an effort to finalize it as soon as possible. Reaching an agreement on this issue will be a clear sign of our commitment to working through -- and, where possible, resolving -- the bilateral disputes in our trade relationship. We will continue our close cooperation on other outstanding issues in the future.'