USTR Kirk meets EU trade minister
Hours after being sworn in as U.S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk met in Washington with European Union Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton to reaffirm support for a rules-based global trading system during a time when governments are tempted to turn inward.
In a joint statement, the two trade ministers said they would work hard to keep the commitment of the G20 leaders last November to refrain from raising new barriers to trade or investment, and endorsed the new World Trade Organization process for monitoring trade measures undertaken in response to the global recession.
A World Bank report this week showed that 47 nations had taken measures such as higher tariffs and subsidies to protect domestic industries.
Kirk and Ashton also said they would redouble efforts to resolve bilateral trade disputes, especially as trade flows in decline for the first time in eight years.
USTR Kirk meets EU trade minister
