(VOVworld) – The European Union and the US have moved one step ahead in the negotiations on the "Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership" or TTIP. The announcement was made by chief negotiators from both sides at a press briefing on Friday after the second round of negotiations on TTIP ended in Brussels, Belgium.

EU chief negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero (L) and US chief negotiator Dan Mullaney give a joint press conference after the second round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on November 15, 2013 in Brussels (Photo: AFP, Georges Gobet)

Ignacio Garcia Bercero, the European Union's chief negotiator, said that both sides have identified areas where they have common ground to reach a consensus on investment, services, and acknowledgment of both sides’ regulations. Discussions in this second round negotiation focused on some specific fields such as services, finance, materials, cosmetics, energy and the use of electronic commerce in trade. A special meeting will be held later this month between both sides to discuss further financial issues.
The disputed issues of genetically modified food will continue to be discussed at the 3^rd round of TTIP negotiations scheduled from 16^th to 20^th in Washington in the United States.