Brussels, 26/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - At their summit in Brussels, the leaders of the EU and the United States confirmed the commitment of the transatlantic partners to a transparent negotiation process.
Following the initial political stock-take of the negotiations, carried out in mid-February by Commissioner Karel De Gucht and the American representative Mike Froman, following three initial rounds of talks since June 2013 and then a fourth session held from 10 to 14 March, the EU-United States summit of 26 March reaffirmed the commitment of the two partners to the “rapid” conclusion of an “ambitious” Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
The United States and the EU “continue to share the same aims” as those laid down in the feasibility study published in February 2013. These include extending access to reciprocal markets for goods, services, investment and public procurement, increasing the compatibility of the rules whilst maintaining a high level of protection for health, safety, employment and the environment, and working on joint approaches to rules which respond to the challenges of global trade, the final declaration of the summit stresses. “A high-standard TTIP will make us more competitive globally, and boost economic and jobs growth, including for small and medium-sized enterprises”. On Tuesday, the leaders of the EU - Herman Van Rompuy (European Council) and José Manuel Barroso (Commission) - and American President Barack Obama committed to “conducting these negotiations with clarity and in a manner that builds support among our publics”.
Asked by the press about growing public hostility towards the TTIP, Barroso and Obama rejected criticism of a lack of transparency in the negotiations and the risk of a reduction in sanitary, social and environmental standards. “I have fought to reinforce consumer protection for my entire political career and as President. I have no intention of signing an agreement which would undermine it. I am fighting to reinforce environmental protection in the United States, and it would not be in my interests to sign an agreement which would water down environmental standards”, President Obama insisted. President Barroso reiterated that the mandate granted to the Commission by the member states, which he “will respect”, “does not allow any lowering of the standards”. “I advise everybody to wait and see what is actually negotiated before speculating. Suspicions in this matter are completely without foundation, and in some cases reflect obsolete models of free-trade agreements”, Obama added.
President Barroso stressed the benefits for citizens, big business and SMEs of a project which will break down customs barriers and reduce regulatory obstacles between two markets which are already strongly integrated. “In cases in which it is not possible to have regulatory convergence, we must accept mutual recognition mechanisms”, he concluded. (EH)