Brussels, 23/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - During a meeting in Brussels on Friday 20 March, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström and US Trade Representative Michael Froman reviewed progress on the ongoing trade negotiations for the transatlantic trade and investment partnership agreement (TTIP) and discussed the agenda for the next two rounds of talks - the first in the US in April and the second in Brussels before the summer break in July.
“We've had good discussions (…) in a friendly and constructive atmosphere. Our talks built on the intense contacts had by our negotiators during and after the last negotiating round in February [see EUROPE 11248]. We have made considerable progress [Friday] on how to move further in our negotiations in the field of services, and how to move towards new offers before the tenth round. Both sides have shown a good understanding of each other's sensitivities”, Malmström stated.
Malmström and Froman reaffirmed both sides' commitment to protecting public services in TTIP - as in any other trade agreement negotiated by the EU and US economies. This joint approach has been written into a joint statement (see other article).
On Friday, Malmström also said she was encouraged by the “strong support” for TTIP that was reasserted by the EU heads of state and government at the European Council on 19-20 March. In their conclusions, the 28 EU member states keep the objective of concluding an agreement by the end of 2015. The EU leaders also agreed to communicate more on the advantages of an agreement and to hold more dialogue with civil society. Civil society's distrust of TTIP currently remains firmly rooted.
Very controversial issues, such as the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), bringing transatlantic standards closer together or the liberalisation of services (and ensuing risks for public services) feed the fears of certain member states and their civil society. (Emmanuel Hagry)