U.S., EU seek bilateral trade improvements

U.S., EU seek bilateral trade improvements    U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and European Union Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton met in Washington on Monday to discuss ongoing bilateral trade relations.
   Both sides hope to use the May 13 conclusion of the beef hormone dispute as a platform to solve other longstanding trade disputes and concerns.
   Kirk and Ashton discussed steps that the United States and the EU could take to facilitate the lifting of EU emergency measures, last modified in 2008, requiring all U.S. shipments of long-grain rice to be tested prior to entering the EU for trace amounts of biotech rice product approved by the United States but not by the EU.
   The trade negotiators also discussed ideas and possible steps to address:
   ' The WTO dispute of the U.S. Copyright Act, known as the 'Irish music' dispute, which relates to music licensing.
   ' Trade implications of U.S. and EU chemical regulations.
   ' EU's continuing efforts to reach agreement with other WTO members on its banana import regulations.
   The U.S. and EU trade negotiators plan to review their progress on these trade issues in September, and are preparing for the fall meeting of the Transatlantic Economic Council.