Following a week of rows fed into by the mixed messages sent out by a number of EU capitals, 17 European industrial and professional associations, led by the European employers' association BusinessEurope, and the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, AmChamEU, on Monday 5 September reiterated their continued support for the EU-United States free-trade negotiations (TTIP).
Welcoming the messages sent out by the European Commission and the American administration stressing that the TTIP talks were still "on track" and required "intensive efforts" to conclude an ambitious agreement, these organisations stressed their readiness to work with all stakeholders to support these efforts.
"It has been clear since the beginning of the negotiations that an ambitious and comprehensive agreement between the world's two largest economies will not be easy to achieve. Strong political commitment from the EU and US governments is necessary to deliver an agreement that boosts growth, competitiveness and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. Continued and vocal support by EU and US political leaders is critical", they stress.
This coalition of associations added that a robust TTIP agreement could catalyse investment as well as trade in goods and services between the European and US markets, which could benefit businesses of all sizes, particularly SMEs. It also stresses that TTIP offers a timely opportunity for the EU and US to set rules for trade and investment that could serve as a benchmark for the world. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)