Brussels, 29/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - MEPs at the EP transport committee (TRAN) expressed their misgivings on Thursday 29 January, regarding the on-going negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement (TTIP) between the EU and US and its impact on the transport sector.
They took note of the draft report by Wim van de Camp (EPP, Netherlands), which regrets that no transport-related factors are included in the TTIP negotiating mandate.
The rapporteur, however, believes that this sector is important for transatlantic trade and is therefore calling for reciprocity to be respected, particularly with regard to US restrictions on airline property, aviation and maritime cabotage (Jones Law) and barriers to public procurement markets for infrastructure.
The head of negotiations at the European Commission services informed MEPs that transport had not yet been discussed in the talks but that the two Commission position documents have been available for consultation since December on the subject of aviation and maritime transport. Van de Camp expressed his wish for the European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, heading the negotiations, to meet the TRAN committee to discuss these subjects. (MD)