The 15th round of TTIP negotiations will occur in New York, New York between October 3-7. Please follow this link for more details regarding the agenda.

If you want to dive a bit deeper into the issue in preparation of the negotiations next week, check out these three publications from the Atlantic Council’s Global Business and Economics Program:
Ten Arguments for TTIP and the Concerns to Address
Last Call for TTIP: The Views of European Diplomats in Washington, DC
TTIP- Big Opportunities for Small Business

For an analysis of where we stand and what issues still need to be resolved, please check out “Prospects for TTIP 2016 and Beyond” by Michael McKeon from Bertelsmann Foundation. 

 

At the closing of the Bratislava Summit last week, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström addressed the attendees of the EU Trade Agreements in Practice event, emphasizing how the EU Commission’s trade strategy will make trade policy more effective. (EU Commission)

Commissioner Malmström also participated in the Citizens’ Dialogue in Budapest earlier this week, an open discussion with students and members of the public, representatives of Hungarian civil society, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Watch the recorded video of the discussion here.

 

 

With the 15th round of TTIP negotiations scheduled for next week in New York City, the EU Commission has indicated that the purpose of this round will be to “make as much progress as possible in all areas of the talks, in particular in the regulatory cooperation and rules areas.” The EU and US chief negotiators will also brief civil society on the progress, an action that goes in line with the transparency policy for the talks. (Parliament Magazine)

 

While it looks increasingly unlikely for the EU and US trade negotiators to come to final agreement on TTIP by the end of the Obama Administration, negotiations will continue and will take into consideration the opinions and interests of voters. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom insists that an agreement between the European Union and the United States “makes all the sense in the world.” (Bloomberg)

 

 

 

In this publication, Michael McKeon from Bertelsmann Foundation offers his opinion on the state of TTIP negotiations and what the political leaders must do in order for TTIP to succeed. McKeon concludes that although negotiations are continuing, a more likely outcome by 2016 would be a political agreement rather than a trade agreement. (Bertelsmann Foundation) 

 

Craig Mellow of the Institutional Investor interviewed former director-general of the World Trade OrganizationPascal Lamy on the global trading system. Lamy insists that there is an important distinction between reality and perception, explaining that in reality trade is more open today than at any other point in time, attributing this to technology crushing the cost of distance, and regulatory concerns causing lower tariffs. (Institutional Investor) 

 

 

US Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of ratifying TPP at theWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars earlier this week. In his speech, Secretary Kerry explains that passing TPP will show consistency of the United States in Asia, and consistency is the basis of foreign policy. (US Department of State) 

 

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered keynote remarks at the Progressive Policy Institute‘s earlier this week, stressing the economic benefits of TPP, particularly for small and mid-sized businesses through export-driven growth. (Commerce)

On a similar note, FedEx has published the new FedEx Trade Index, a series of national surveys, intended to track the impact of international trade among the small business segment of the US economy. The findings of the first survey show a significant majority of small businesses believe global trade benefits the economy.

 

Nigel Cory and Stephen Ezell of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) put together this point-by-point analysis rebutting many of the common criticisms of TPP, including TPP’s Intellectual Property rules allegedly only benefiting large corporations, claims that TPP threatens free speech, among others. Amid the twelve claims Cory and Ezell analyze, only one was found to be valid, namely that the TPP does not do enough to stop currency manipulation. (ITIF)

 

 Do Americans Know About TPP?

 In a poll conducted by Politico and Harvard of Americans’ sentiments towards TPP, the results found that most Americans are not aware of the trade deal at all. Additionally, the poll found that the majority of Americans who are aware of the deal have a negative opinion. We can attribute this opinion to the fact that those Americans who feel trade has negatively affected their lives are the ones paying attention to the TPP discussion. (Politico)

 

US Trade Representative Michael Froman delivered remarks at the opening of the 2016 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Washington DC this week discussing the various initiatives AGOA has introduced. With all of the great work AGOA has done, Ambassador Froman offers ideas on how to deepen the US-African trade and investment relationship even further. (Office of the United States Trade Representative)
Further reading: A Fact Sheet released by the White House outlining the benefits of trade and investment between the United States and Africa under the Obama Administration.

 

Trade For All at the WTO Public Forum 

In this audio clip from EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström’s speech at the WTO Public Forum she addresses the EU Commission’s trade policy “Trade For All”, introduced last year. This 3-pillar policy emphasizes the importance of efficiency, transparency, and value-based agreements when negotiating trade deals. By following this trade policy, people will feel more included in trade and economies will see growth, jobs, and investment. (WTO)

 

International trade was a major theme in the opening half hour of the US presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Unfortunately the candidates did not stick to the facts, so this examination by the US Chamber of Commerce provides insight as to what statements regarding trade were true or false. (US Chamber of Commerce)

As mentioned in our September 14 edition of TTIP&Trade in Action, the US Chamber of Commerce launched a 12-part series titled “The Case for TPP” that takes an in-depth look at the TPP. Please check out the first 5 posts on the US Chamber of Commerce website here.

 

WTO Public Forum 2016: Inclusive Trade – September 27-29 in Geneva, hosted by World Trade Organization –More Information

 

 

Inclusive Growth in the European Union – September 29 in Brussels, hosted by Bruegel – More Information

 

Global Economic Prospects: Fall 2016 – September 29 via webcast, hosted by Peterson Institute for International Economics – More Information

Remaking Post-Industrial Cities: Transatlantic Insights on Economic & Spatial Transformation – September 29 in Turino, Italy, hosted by German Marshall Fund – More Information

 

Stronger With Allies: The Future of Europe After Brexit – October 6 in Washington, hosted by Atlantic Council – More Information

Financial Times/Bruegel European Forum: Where Now for the UK and the EU After the Vote for Brexit? – October 10 in Brussels, hosted by Bruegel and Financial Times – More Information

 

Email mkasperek@AtlanticCouncil.org with your ideas and suggestions.