"I understand that it is still important from the U.S. side, but we have been very clear that it is not going to be in a trade agreement from our side," Malmström said after the talks with Lighthizer. "Things have not changed."
The EU needs to go through a process with member countries on the sectors to be covered in the talks, but if the US were to include agriculture in the negotiating objectives it is expected to release in mid-December, that process will not happen.
"We have said very clearly, and President Juncker made that very clearly as well, that agriculture would not be part of such a trade agreement. It would only be industrial goods, which would be good enough. There is a lot we can do there that would be beneficial both for the US and the European Union," she said.
The discussions next year between the two countries could be completed by October 2019 when the current terms for the European Commission expire.
She did note the EU is close to formally recognizing a U.S. sustainability and conservation program on soybeans that would open the potential for more sales of U.S. soybeans to the EU and is also taking steps to import more U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG).