Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, has welcomed the announcement by President Obama that the United States will launch talks on a comprehensive free trade agreement with the European Union.
President Obama made the announcement during his annual State of the Union address last week, dubbing it a "comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership."
"Securing a negotiating mandate for a comprehensive free-trade agreement with the United States was a top priority for the government when we established the jobs and growth agenda for the Irish Presidency of the EU," said Gilmore, referring to the current six-month Irish presidency of the European Union.
"This now opens up enormous untapped potential for a new phase in Europe's economic relations with the U.S. I anticipate that these negotiations will begin during the Irish Presidency, and we will of course make the most of Ireland's close relationship with the U.S. to get talks off to a good start. I look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with our U.S. colleagues as we begin working on this together," the Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) said.
