‘Mutual acceptance’ on test standards likely at trade talks

Every time Daimler, the German car manufacturer, tests models for safety, they have to crash two cars against a concrete wall — one to fulfil EU standards and the second to fulfil US standards.

Much of the differences between the two countries — now under the spotlight as negotiations on the EU- US trade agreement began in Washington this week — will not be eliminated, US government officials have said.

Instead they accept that the most and possibly best solution is to agree to accept each other’s testing and results.