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).
Speeches & Official Announcements
European Parliament 2014 Election Provisional
The European Parliament election results are available online here, with an excellent comparison between the 2009 and 2014 results.
Public Forum Steers TTIP Negotiations, Offers Window to Progress
During the fifth round of negotiations, chief negotiators from both sides of the Atlantic hosted a public forum to hear more than seventy presentations from over 300 key stakeholders from civil society on topics ranging from agriculture and food, energy, environment and raw materials, to regulatory issues.
A press release overview of the meeting is available here.
The full presentation schedule and list of represented organizations can be found here.
Deputy Assistant USTR Christina Sevilla Highlights the benefits of US-EU trade for Midwestern Small Businesses
Last Thursday, Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Small Business Christina Sevilla spoke at the International Relations Council of Kansas City about the many opportunities that TTIP could provide for US and European SMEs. Particular emphasis was placed on local companies from the Midwest. A recap of the meeting is available here.
News
Stark Warning from Europe’s Voters
The Financial Times reports that despite the surge in populist parties across Europe in this year’s elections, there remains hope for European optimism. First, fringe parties still remain a small minority in the European Parliament, and they also are divided on issues between themselves. Moreover, parties with strong reform programs saw off populist challenges. For example in Italy, Matteo Renzi’s party beat the anti-establishment Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo, and Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union retained its position atop the polls in Germany. (Financial Times)
Cameron Urges EU to Drop ‘Business as Usual’
Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party came a disappointing third in Sunday’s European elections in the United Kingdom. Following the elections on Sunday, the prime minister made a series of personal phone calls to top leaders including Chancellor Angela Merkel calling for significant changes to leadership at the top ranks of the European Commission. Prime Minister Cameron says that European Commission presidential candidate Jean-Claude Juncker’s vision of a more integrated Europe is not in line with public opinion. (Financial Times)
Brussels Briefing on Trade: All you need to know for May 27 – June 11
EU Trade Insights, provides a recap of the fifth round of the TTIP talks that took place in Arlington, Virginia last week, and also covers other topics on the trade agenda for the next two weeks. See the video here.
European: 5 Lessons from the Election
French newspaper Le Monde reports on the historic nature of the Front National’s first-place finish in France. The result was a humiliation for the ruling Socialist Party who placed third with only 14% of the vote. Both the Socialists and conservative UMP are facing major questions about their political future in the aftermath of Marine Le Pen’s victory.
The original article is available in French here.
World Trade Flows Fall in the First Quarter
World trade statistics released last Friday demonstrated a fall in world trade volume in the first quarter of 2014. According to the report, trade flows were down by 0.8 percent in March from the beginning of the year. This is in contrast to the 1.5 percent increase in world trade in the last quarter of 2013. Exports from and imports to the US also fell during the quarter, while trade flows to and from the euro zone changed little. These statistics reinforce the widely-felt sentiments that the economic recovery is proceeding far too slowly worldwide. (Wall Street Journal)
Recent Analysis
European Elections 2014: This Is One Peasants’ Revolt That Brussels Can’t Just Brush Aside
London Mayor Boris Johnson writes for the UK’s Telegraph that the rise of populists across Europe in this year’s elections represents an important and decisive shift away from European integration and for subsidiarity in Europe—the re-delegation of powers to local and national levels where possible. (Telegraph)
Time to Grasp the Nettle of European Reform
Mohamed El-Erian writes for the Financial Times that the electoral results are indicative of a European-wide protest against the lack of jobs and growth across the continent. He argues that despite the rise of the political extremes, the new Parliament will not threaten the integrity of the European integration project, given that it is hard to form any new meaningful alliances in the legislature, especially among far-right parties that disagree on a host of issues. (Financial Times)
Europhobes Don’t Network – That’s why They’re Weak
Isabell Hoffman writes for E!Sharp that the parties that represent anti-European Union views are in fact not well coordinated, if one considers that there is no significant ‘pan-European network anti-European populists. Unless and until these parties do a better job of forming lasting alliances, their voices will remain disparate and relatively ineffective. (E!Sharp)
The Youth Want a Different TTIP
German newspaper Zeit Online reports that the successes of anti-European parties does not necessarily mean the end of TTIP. Three major anti-European parties the UK’s Independent Party, France’s National Front and the AfD all have different views about free trade. However, there is a pan-European desire for increased transparency and to better understand the terms of the potential agreement and how it would benefit voters.
The original article is available in German here.
EU-US Trade Agreement Must Base Policies on Risk to Comply with WTO, CropLife Says
Pat Rizzuto writes for Bloomberg BNA that trade negotiators on both sides of the Atlantic should ensure that regulations be based on a risk-based regulatory approach in order to comply with WTO rules. He gives an example on European Union regulation on pesticide usage, which is representative of the broader regulatory debate between the risk-based approach prevalent in the US as compared to the precautionary principle applied in Europe. (Bloomberg BNA)
New Study Maps Dominant EU-Bay Area Economic, Investment Ties
A report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute in April highlights that Northern California is more deeply integrated economically with Europe than Asia in terms of trade and investment. For example, European firms account for one third of all foreign companies operating in the Bay Area, making Europe the largest global direct investor in the region, despite San Francisco’s cultural and geographic links with the Pacific Rim. (Bay Area Council)
Upcoming Events
AmCham EU Visits Washington – May 26-30, Washington, DC – More information
After the European Elections: A Fresh Start for the EU & the Transatlantic Relationship? – May 27, Washington DC – More information
European Union Election Results: Implications for the US – May 28, Washington, DC – More information
TTIP: Facts and Opportunities for Business in Europe and Spain – June 2, Madrid – More information available in Spanish here.
Stakeholder Outreach – Update on TTIP’s Fifth Negotiation Round – June 3, Brussels – More Information
The European Elections and the Future of Europe – June 3, Washington DC – More information
Global Trade: A Trade System for the 21st Century – June 9-10, London – More information
Round 6 of TTIP Negotiations – July (dates TBD) in Brussels