EU Commission recommends settling dispute on US beef exports

Following an agreement reached this past summer to “launch a new phase in the trade relationship between the European Union and the United States,” the EU Commission is seeking approval to settle a long-standing dispute with the US over limits on the importation of hormone-free beef into the EU.

According to a Recommendation issued in early September, the Commission is seeking a mandate from the EU Council to review with its US counterparts the terms of existing quotas on hormone-free beef from the US Under the revised terms of a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding, an annual quota of 45,000 tonnes of non-hormone products beef is available to qualified suppliers, including those based in the US

As part of its Recommendation to the Council, the Commission has suggested allocating to the US a part of the existing quote that is also available to exporters from other countries. However, it notes that any negotiation must be consistent with the interests of other “substantial supplying countries,” and “in line with the applicable WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules, to the extent necessary.”

The complete text of the EU Commission’s recommendation for a Council Decision is available here.