Speeches and Official Annoucements

President Obama Speaks to the People of Berlin
Yesterday, President Obama delivered a wide-ranging speech on peace, justice, and the transatlantic relationship in the heart of Berlin, before the Brandenburg Gate. You can find a recording of the speech, and its transcript here.

Questions and Answers: Transatlantic Trade
The European Commission created a handy, publicly-available, frequently-asked-questions page on TTIP negotiations in an effort to increase transparency. The page is designed to assuage many fears of trade and globalization held by some European citizens. 

News

G8: What Did it Achieve? | The Guardian
Leaders meeting in Northern Ireland made significant headway through the official launch of TTIP negotiations, but less was accomplished in terms of progress on tax evasion and, notably, on the crisis in Syria. Five experts give their views. 

Senate Approves Froman for US Trade Representative | Wall Street Journal
In a 93-4 vote in favor of confirmation, the US Senate officially affirmed President Obama’s pick to head the Office of the US Trade Representative, Michael Froman. Froman is considered to be very close to the president, having served as deputy national security advisor for international economics in the White House. Froman will lead US negotiations on TTIP, and is expected to work with Congress to secure fast-track trade promotion authority for the transatlantic agreement as well as the Trans-Pacific Partnership over the course of the summer.

Free Trade, Fair Trade Pending | Le Nouvel Economist
The government of François Hollande may have upset his EU counterparts in TTIP preliminary negotiations, but he faces further struggles as he tries to build support for the free trade agreement at home. The “liveliness of debate” in France so far demonstrates that the French leader will have to spend much time and political capital on this deal if it is to be successful. Text in French.

Schulz: Fair Data Protection Negotiations with US Require EU Mandate | derStandard
European Parliament President Martin Schulz expressed concern that data collection and protection standards would be addressed as part of the TTIP negotiations between the EU and US. In light of the recent NSA eavesdropping scandal, he suggested that for data protection talks to be conducted on an “equal footing” they should be held separately with a clear mandate from EU member states. Text in German.

Ratification of TTIP Would Be Beneficial for Italy | Prima Pagina News
Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta spoke to the press on Thursday about his optimistic views on the nascent free trade agreement between the US and EU. While Rome shared some similar concerns about cultural protections with the French government, Letta was confident the details could be hashed out in negotiations without scuttling the entire deal.  Text in Italian.

Recent Analysis

Building the Largest Free-Trade Zone in the World | Huffington Post
João Vale de Almeida, the European Union’s ambassador to the United States, writes of the incredible untapped potential of the transatlantic market that could be opened through TTIP. A successfully concluded transatlantic agreement would also clearly demonstrate the commitment the US and EU to free markets and openness to trade to the rest of the world. 

What Could be Better than US-EU Trade Deal? Free Trade, Actually | The Telegraph
Douglas Carswell, member of the UK Parliament, writes in support of TTIP and to underline the need for further free trade efforts globally to aid the global economic recovery. 

Playing it Safe in Berlin | Bertelsmann Foundation
Bertelsmann Foundation Executive Director Annette Heuser regrets that President Obama missed a major opportunity to bring the US and Europe closer together during his Berlin speech. Notably, the speech continued only a passing reference to TTIP. Considering the stage, the speech would have been an excellent opportunity to sell increased trade and investment ties with the United States to a somewhat skeptical European public. 

Obama’s Germany Trip Can’t Be Business as Usual | The Christian Science Monitor 
Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff of the German Marshall Fund argues that President Obama’s speech in Berlin yesterday showed that America needs German help on global issues. However, German power has limits. Obama needs fresh ideas to help Europe and to fortify the transatlantic relationship, because some of the circumstances that created the transatlantic bond no longer exist.