The United States and the European Union (EU) are currently involved in a long-standing and acrimonious trade dispute over the EU’s decision to ban hormone-treated meat, despite an ongoing series of dispute settlement proceedings and decisions by the World Trade Organization (WTO). In May 2009, following a series of negotiations, the United States and the EU agreed to a ‘memorandum of understanding’ that could resolve the trade dispute.
As the 2009 Memorandum expired on 1 August 2013, with a permanent settlement to the dispute not reached, a revised memorandum was signed on 21 October 2013. The new memorandum would extend the transitional phase until August 2015, giving additional time for finding a definitive solution via the WTO.The ultimate aim is for the EU to increase the permitted amount of imported ‘high-quality beef’ from the United States and for the latter to reduce/suspend application of any additional import duties on EU products.