European Union countries have approved the conditions for negotiating a new and strictly limited trade deal with the United Sates.
EU headquarters said the agreement will focus on eliminating tariffs on industrial goods only, and would not include agricultural products despite US demands they be on the table.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker met US President Donald Trump last July to head off a looming trans-Atlantic trade war after Mr Trump slapped tariffs on imports of EU steel and aluminium.
EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom welcomed the agreement, saying: “We are now ready to move ahead into the next phase of EU-US relations.”
Ms Malmstrom says this is separate from a previous trade negotiation, known as TTIP, which is officially “in the freezer”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here