The first week-long round of talks for an EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) closed on Friday in Washington, paving the way for further talks in the future.

, EU Chief Negotiator Ignacio Garcia-Bercero and US Chief Negotiator Dan Mullaney (Photo: Reuters)

Speaking to the press after the talks, EU Chief Negotiator Ignacio Garcia-Bercero said that both sides have set out respective approaches and ambitions in as much as twenty separate areas. Bercerco reaffirmed that despite arguments over the US spying on European countries, the two sides have reached their main goals: “An independent round of negotiations with mutually concerned topics” paving the way for the next round of talks in Brussels in October. US Chief Negotiator Dan Mullaney said that it’s been a very productive week of talks with a high consensus to reach an agreement next year before the end of the European Commission’s term.