What We’re Reading | November 12

TTIP Action aggregates the latest news and best analysis from across the United States and European Union on the ongoing negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

News

US, Europe Resume Talks on New Trade Pact | ABC News
Against a strained backdrop following further revelations about the extent of NSA spying on European leaders, negotiators from the United States and European Union are regrouping this week in Brussels in the second round of TTIP talks. Both sides are eager to shift the focus of their bilateral relationship back towards ways to reenergize their economies.

Free Trade: The Challenges of Negotiations Between the US and EU | Le Monde
Le Monde has put together an excellent overview of the current state of play in the TTIP negotiations. Noting that there is promising bipartisan support in the US Congress, the author cautions readers that negotiators still need to overcome concerns with US agriculture standards and large transatlantic divergences in financial regulation. Full article in FRENCH.

Trade and Finance Dominate Brussels this Week | EU Observer
Brussels will be busy this week as TTIP negotiations resume and EU finance ministers meet to agree on adjustments to the 2013 EU budget. While TTIP negotiators will primarily discuss services, investment, energy and raw materials, and regulatory issues, MEPs and ministers will be discussing 2014 spending plans, progress on bank resolution legislation and the status of the EU’s four bail-out programs.

Recent Analysis

Reinventing the West: The Geopolitical Importance of TTIP | European Global Strategy
TTIP provides the opportunity for western countries to build on the partnership that NATO pioneered. This agreement will be fundamentally different, because it will be based on becoming a more integrated economic alliance. Now that developing countries influence a growing amount of global influence, it will reaffirm the strong ties that the US and Europe have built over decades of cooperation.

This EU-US Trade Deal is No ‘Assault on Democracy’ | The Guardian
Ken Clarke, a British member of Parliament, writes that TTIP is an astonishingly good deal for the UK economy. Not only would British companies of all sizes benefit from the ease of doing business, but such a deal would also safeguard the liberal trading rules that the British economy depends on for years to come.

Show the Way in Public Procurement | Financial Times
Opening access to public procurement is a goal that faces many political hurdles, still progress on both sides is vital. While it may be tempting for governments to play favorites with domestic companies, opening procurement will raise competitiveness and alleviate public debt. Open procurement is a common practice in the developing world that the US and EU should adopt swiftly. 

Upcoming Events

  • This Week: Second Round of TTIP Negotiations in Brussels
  • November 11-15 | Second Round of TTIP Negotiations in Brussels
  • November 12 | British American Business Conference: The New Transatlantic Market: Gamechangers, Opportunities and Risks in London. Click here for more information on registration.
  • November 13-14 | Seventh Annual Transatlantic Business Conference in Frankfurt, Germany. Click here for more information on registration.
  • November 15 | Media Briefing on Second Round of TTIP Negotiations by US and EU chief trade negotiators. Watch online or click here for more information on registration
  • November 15 | The European Commission will hold a briefing for stakeholders during the second round of negotiations- November 15. Click here to register.
  • December 2 | The 2013 Mortimer Caplin Conference on the World Economy presents: The TTIP: A Multilateral Perspective. Register Here.
  • December 16-20 | Third Round of TTIP Negotiations in Washington
  • January 2013 | Stock-taking exercise between EU Commissioner Karel de Gucht and USTR Michael Froman

Employment Opportunities

Assistant Director, Transatlantic Relations, Atlantic Council