Esta es la versión HTML de un fichero adjunto a una solicitud de acceso a la información 'TTIP lobbying'.




Ref. Ares(2015)4655379 - 28/10/2015
Ref. Ares(2017)3665888 - 20/07/2017
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Directorate-General for Trade 
Directorate E - Neighbouring countries, USA and Canada 
USA and Canada 
Brussels,  
USA and Canada  
Meeting Report  
Meeting with the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and US paper 
companies, 8 June 2015, 16.30-17.30 

US paper industry:  
¾ Paul Noe, Vice President, Public Policy, AF&PA;
¾ Jacob Handelsman, Senior Director International Trade (AF&PA);
¾ Christopher J. Brescia, Vice President of Government Affairs, RockTenn;
¾ Thomas M. Dubois, Managing Director, International Government & Public Affairs, Koch
Companies Public Sector LLC;
¾ Ned W. Massee, Vice President Corporate Affairs, MeadWestvaco Corporation (MWV);
¾ Tangui van der Elst, Director Government Affairs Europe, MWV;
¾ Andrew Johnson, Vice President Government Affairs & Sustainability, Graphic Packaging
International, Inc.
DG TRADE
 (both G.3) 
[Art. 4.1 (b)]
Constructive meeting with a large delegation from the US paper industry, organised on 
industry's request. Industry outlined important market developments such as notably the 
increasing competition of the US paper sector with wood pellet production which 
apparently drives up raw material prices and endangers the sustainability of paper 
production in the US. In this context, the US industry is very concerned about subsidies 
of the UK Government to the Lynemouth power station biomass conversion project – 
here an EU competition case has been launched and industry is in contact with DG 
COMP – as well as to Drax. The US paper industry supports the ongoing TTIP 
negotiations, but did not have very clear ideas how this could affect the US paper sector. 
The industry indicated they will also meet CAB-ARIAS CAÑETE. 

¾ Industry claimed that the way in which Member States implement the EU's Renewable
Energy Directive (RED) would give too many incentives for the consumption of wood
biomass, and in particular wood pellets. This has resulted in very substantial exports of
wood pellets from the US South to the EU, and namely to the UK (and to a lesser extent to
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111 

Belgium and the Netherlands). In industry's view, the subsidies of the UK Government for 
the Lynemouth power station biomass conversion project and for Drax have very negative 
consequences for the US paper industry in terms of increased competition and prices for 
softwood pulpwood (which is used both for paper and wood pellet production). The 
Commission has launched an investigation in February 2015 to review if the subsidies 
granted by the UK Government for the Lynemouth station are compatible with EU state aid 
rules. See also enclosed AF&PA issue paper on European biomass subsidies and a letter the 
association has sent to DG COMP in May 2015 concerning the ongoing state aid 
investigation.  
¾ US industry claims that EU GHG reduction policy together with MS support (Lynemouth,
Drax) leads to an unfair competition for higher quality wood feedstock as the pellets are no
longer produced from the residues only. This is a result – on one hand – of an increasing
demand for biomass driven by EU climate policy, and on the other hand, of the state aids
that subsidise the cost of the feedstock for the EU buyers. The US industry questions the
existing model under EU state aid rules but also raises a question on trade aspects. In
addition, industry questioned the credibility of the national sustainability criteria, the
compliance with which is a prerequisite for granting of these subsidies, taking into account
the negative effect they create in practice (i.e. burning trees rather than residues for
energy).
¾ The US paper industry supports the ongoing TTIP negotiations and has put forward a joint
statement with the EU paper association CEPI in November 2013 (see enclosed – this is
more a general statement of support, with rather little actual substance). We welcomed
their interest in TTIP and pointed to areas of particular interest for the US wood and paper
industry, namely horizontal regulatory cooperation, energy and raw materials, as well as
competition policy including subsidies. We also clarified that there are no specific sectoral
negotiations on wood and paper in TTIP, but the sector could certainly benefit from strong
rules on horizontal regulatory cooperation.
¾
[out of scope]
[out of scope]