Brown tables trade blue-print

CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown has unveiled trade proposals aimed at strengthening economic ties between the US, UK and continental Europe.

Against the backdrop of accusations that the US is overly protective of its own economic interests, Brown detailed four key steps to create a 'new era of engagement between America and Europe'.

He urged the US to work with the UK and other European Union states to establish where barriers to transatlantic trade lie. He also called for closer co-operation over non-tariff based barriers, specifically in assessing the impact of new regulation.

Brown urged the EU and US to work with companies in breaking down trade barriers. He said halving protectionist tariffs in agriculture and industrial goods could boost world annual trade by £250bn.