Key US Republican hits out at French trade concession A senior Republican lawmaker has lashed out against the EU's move to exclude cultural products from trade talks with the US, saying the move forced by France was of "serious concern" and set a "dangerous precedent." The criticism from Orrin Hatch of Utah, the top Republican on the Senate finance committee, which is responsible for trade, marks the first sign of a political backlash in Congress to the EU's decision to shield its domestic film-making industries from US competition. "That the European Union appears to have already taken issues, like audio-visual services, off of the negotiating table is of serious concern and something that will have to be carefully scrutinised during the upcoming trade talks," Mr Hatch said in a statement to the Financial Times. We need a comprehensive agreement that will lead to economic growth, not settle for one based on the lowest common denominator. It would set a dangerous precedent for future trade negotiations and undermine the goal of establishing meaningful market access," he added. Mr Hatch is a strong supporter of the trade talks with the EU and trade liberalisation generally but his remarks reflect the irritation in Washington about last week's 11th-hour compromise among EU member states on a mandate to formally launch the talks, which are due to begin in early July. The Obama administration has always insisted it wanted every issue on the table in the negotiations. The US ambassador to the EU also expressed his reservations about carve-outs in the talks, and speaking at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland this week Barack Obama warned European leaders not to "downsize our ambitions." The concern in the US is that the exception for cultural products demanded by France could be replicated in other areas, such as agriculture and privacy, where many Europeans have deep reservations about loosening their rules on health and safety standards and data protection, particularly after the revelations of widespread surveillance by the US National Security Agency. Max Baucus, the Democratic chairman of the Senate finance committee, hailed the start of EU talks as a chance to boost economic growth, but he also had a warning. "In order for this agreement to live up to its potential, it needs to address the EU's longstanding barriers to American agriculture exports," said Mr Baucus, who comes from the largely rural state of Montana. "Our trading partners need to drop unscientific barriers to the products American ranchers and farmers produce, which are top-notch and completely safe," he added. Meanwhile, Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means trade subcommittee, also chimed in. "It's important that we begin these negotiations with everything on the table and everything being subject to discussion," Mr Nunes, who represents California in the lower chamber, said in a statement to the FT on Tuesday. "Demands for exceptions and carve-outs make it harder to achieve our mutual goal of signing a comprehensive agreement that significantly boosts economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic," he added. According to a survey by the Pew Research Global Attitudes Project released in February, 58 per cent of Americans back more trade with the EU. But if the chance for US exporters to access European markets was diminished, that enthusiasm could wane among the general public as well as powerful US business lobby groups that are often critical in ensuring passage of such deals through Congress. And if supporters of the trade deal in the US are less vigorous in pushing it, it could open a window for opponents of trade agreements in Congress to have a louder voice.