No. 13/05
February 9, 2005

EU TRADE COMMISSIONER MANDELSON ON FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO US

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is en route to Washington, DC, today for his first official visit to the United States since taking up his position as EU Trade Commissioner on November 22, 2004.The visit comes at a time of intense activity in transatlantic relationship and is expected to focus on moves to deepen the EU-US trading relationship and on the best way to achieve an ambitious result in the ongoing Doha round of international trade talks.

Speaking before his departure Commissioner Mandelson said: “This is a time of renewal in transatlantic relations. Trade and investment are the bedrock of transatlantic relations and our trading relationship is almost entirely dispute-free. The EU and the US need to offer joint global leadership. In the Doha round of international trade talks, both the EU and the US must work for ambitious agreement that achieves greater market access on services, industrial products and agriculture and delivers clear benefits for developing countries.”

During his two-day visit (February 10-11), Commissioner Mandelson will meet members of the US Administration including United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, Secretary of the Treasury John Snow and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. On Capitol Hill, Commissioner Mandelson will have bilateral meetings with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA), House Agriculture Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte (R-VA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA) and Members of the Committee, and Rep. Norman Dicks (D-WA).

At 9:15 am on Friday, February 11, Commissioner Mandelson will brief the press at the European Commission Delegation, 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC. Members of the Press are invited to attend.

While in Washington, the Commissioner will deliver a speech to the US Chamber of Commerce on trade and transatlantic relations. For more information on that event, please contact the US Chamber at (202) 463 5682.

The EU-US trading relationship is the largest in the world. It is almost 98% dispute-free. In 2002 the total amount of two-way investment amounted to more than 1.5 trillion euro. The "transatlantic workforce" – jobs directly or indirectly linked to the trading relationship – is estimated to number 12 to 14 million. In the US, 7 million workers owe their jobs directly or indirectly to EU companies. In 2003, the EU exported 220 billion euro of goods and 115 billion euro of services to the US. This is 22.6% of total EU exports in goods. The US exported 151 billion euro in goods and 109 billion euro in services to the EU.

Further Contact Information
Press and Media Relations
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766