The European Commission is ready to at least halve its highest tariffs on farm imports and has proposed potentially painful cuts for other countries as part of its plan to unblock a push for freer global trade.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson made the proposals during a Zurich meeting of trade ministers who are trying to hammer out details of a trade deal that will be on the table at a World Trade Organisation meeting in December.
In a statement, the Commission said Mandelson had proposed that tariffs which currently stand at 90 percent for some agricultural imports into the EU should be cut by at least 50 percent with smaller cuts for lower tariffs.
He also put forward the idea of a cap for agricultural tariffs for rich countries - as already sought by the G20 group of developing nations - which would "create a severe constraint for all developed countries".
Among other EU proposals, Brussels would lock into the WTO talks a previously announced reform of Europe's Common Agricultural Policy, reducing by 70 percent the amount of money spent on trade-distorting subsidies for farmers.
The United States earlier on Monday said it would offer to cut similar types of farm domestic support by 60 percent.
"The time has come to push the envelope," EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said in the statement.
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