Brussels, 28/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - Ministers and company heads are warning about growing discord among public opinion against negotiations for a transatlantic trade and investment partnership agreement (TTIP).
The risk of lowering European standards and investor protection in the TTIP negotiations because of the US legislating on social and environmental issues is arousing growing mistrust among public opinion in Europe, said European ministers and company heads who were meeting in Athens on 28 February for an informal meeting of European trade ministers.
“Increasingly, public opinion and civil society is concerned, has mistrust and is fearing the negative effects of a TTIP agreement”, said head of the US Chamber of Commerce to the EU, Hendrik Bourgeois. The rise of anti-European parties, the revelations of US spying on Europe and the allegations that the TTIP will favour big companies all work together to erode the support of public opinion for an agreement that those who promote it present as a miracle cure to stimulate growth and employment for both sides of the Atlantic, said several parties during discussions.
“We are grappling with people who are anti-European, who are anti-American, who are anti-free trade, who are anti-globalisation and who are anti-multinational corporations. We have an uphill battle to make the argument that this EU-US free trade agreement is a good one”, Finland's minister, Alexander Stubb, told his colleagues. The head of the Danish maritime transport company Moller-Maersk, Nils Andersen, warned of the danger that voters might be “hijacked by populist statements”.
European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht, who debriefed the ministers on the progress of the TTIP negotiations after the first three rounds of talks, criticised the demonisation campaigns for the TTIP. “I welcome the open and diverse public discussions on TTIP. That is important for our democracy. But the debate should be based upon facts, not just on speculation and fear-mongering,” he said. And in response to accusations of non-transparency: “We have no hidden agenda”. (EH)