The European Commission confirmed today that EU and US negotiators had reached a framework deal on farm goods that would now be given to the EU states for approval.
The common EU-US position on liberalising farm trade could give fresh impetus to stalled global trade talks, ahead of a key meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) next month in Cancun, Mexico.
"A common text will be presented at the request of the WTO...and presented to member states and heads of delegations," said commission spokesman Mr Eric Mamer at a daily briefing. EU states have to approve deals struck by the commission.
"The proposal hasn't been submitted (to the WTO) yet, member states are still ploughing through it," he told reporters. "This is not a detailed text. This is a framework text with little detail in it...It does not contain figures," he said.
EU officials said member states were due to meet Commission officials in Geneva to review the text that had been agreed with US trade negotiators. WTO members are to meet later in the day.
"What the WTO asked the United States and European Union to do was to come forward with a proposal," Mr Mamer said.