EU, U.S. agree to work on increasing trade cooperation - Commission

[May 25, 2017]  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union and the United States have agreed to start work on a plan to increase trade cooperation, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) leads European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (R) and the President of the European Council Donald Tusk at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

"As far as the Commission is concerned, President Juncker insisted on intensifying trade cooperation which is a win-win situation for both sides," the spokeswoman said after U.S. President Donald Trump met European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk."In this context it was agreed to start work on a joint action plan on trade," she said.

Tusk said in a televised statement after the meeting with Trump that trade was one of the issues that remained "open". Talks toward a planned EU-U.S. free trade agreement have been put on hold since Trump's election victory on a more protectionist platform last November.

(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, writing by Philip Blenkinsop, editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek)

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