Brussels, 10/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - The coordinators of the political groups in the European Parliament's international trade (INTA) committee decided last week that MEPs will assess the progress made in the free-trade talks between the EU and the United States in a resolution to be put to the vote in March 2015. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks were launched in June 2013.
“There is agreement on both sides of the Atlantic that we need to breathe fresh life into the TTIP talks. It is our responsibility as democratically elected representatives to make our position on and vision for these negotiations known, in order to ensure a successful fresh start. That's why we will soon come forward with a new position taking into account the progress achieved so far, the insights gathered in the public consultation on investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in TTIP as well as Commissioner Malmström's plans for a fresh start in the talks”, said INTA committee chair Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany) on Friday 7 November.
Lange, the Parliament's standing rapporteur on the TTIP, will lead discussions on the draft resolution. The new trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, will set out her general priorities and views on the TTIP at the next INTA committee meeting on 3-4 December. (EH)