The subject was taboo in the European Parliament until a few months ago, but voices are now being raised to revive the subject of a trade agreement with the United States. The current crisis with Russia demonstrates the need to bring the EU closer to its like-minded partners, according to German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who spoke to the German newspaper Handelsblatt last weekend. “We should resume negotiations on a transatlantic free trade agreement”, he said.
In the European Parliament, several MEPs raised the issue during an exchange with EU Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Margrete Vestager regarding the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) on 22 March. “We need to find a way out of our dependencies on Russia and China. A trade agreement with the US would make strategic sense in this context more than ever”, said Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourg). Geert Bourgeois (European Conservatives and Reformists, Belgium) supported this position. Other colleagues were more vague, asking whether a “strengthening” or “updating” of the TTC Council was planned.
The issue of a comprehensive agreement has been raised by some Member States, according to EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. “This is something we need to discuss”, he added.
The Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager, has warned against resuming talks on the basis of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). “Even when freezing a product, there is a limit beyond which you should not consume the product. If it has been there too long, it is best not to use it. If we want to strengthen trade relations with the United States, we need to start from scratch”, she said. She also added that a new mandate would be needed for such discussions. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)