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

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Where Do We Stand on the Hottest Topics in the Current Debate?
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht spoke yesterday in Germany on the current status of TTIP negotiations. He made a specific point to address some areas of public concern, emphasizing that EU standards will not be lowered and defending the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism–while noting there will be a time for public comment and input on that particular detail. De Gucht underlined that although there are challenges and critiques to overcome, the economic gains for both Europe and the US will be well worth the effort. [Europa PDF]

News

Brussels Wants to Hear More on TTIP Investor-State Dispute Clause
Proposed as part of TTIP negotiations, discussions towards a US-EU investor-state dispute settlement system have been put on hold for public consultations by the European Commission in an effort to increase public involvement in the talks and improve transparency. [Euractiv]

Drive at Davos Forum to Cut Green Trade Barriers
To address some unresolved elements of the WTO’s Doha Round, the US, EU, Japan, and 10 other economies plan to cut tariffs on green goods and services to a maximum of 5 percent by 2015. Examples of these goods include solar panels, wind panels, catalytic car converters, and parts used in power and sewage plants. [Financial Times]

Microsoft to Shield Foreign Users’ Data
Responding to ongoing privacy concerns of many of its clients, Microsoft announced it will allow foreign customers to store data on servers outside of the US. The company believes that clients should not only have the ability to know which laws their data will be subjected to, but also the opportunity to choose where their data is housed. [Financial Times]

Recent Analysis

Getting to Yes on Transatlantic Financial Regulation
My Atlantic Council colleague Chris Brummer writes for Project Syndicate that divergent EU and US decision-making processes pose challenges for establishing and enforcing new financial regulatory reforms in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Without a procedure to institutionalize dialogues and debates, the EU and US need a mechanism to coordinate their financial policies in “real time” and adapt to an environment of rapidly changing markets, and TTIP could provide just such a way forward. [Project Syndicate]

An Enduring Legacy — The Democratic Party and Free and Open Trade
Through an ambitious trade agenda spanning TTIP, TPP, and more, President Obama is following in the successful footsteps of his Democratic predecessors deepening and modernizing the global economy. In addition to encouraging global growth through increased trade and investment, these agreements will establish higher standards and new rules for a digital age. If the two American political parties can rally together, this trade agenda has the potential to reinvigorate the free market economic model for years to come. [Huffington Post]

Free Trade Needs Balance
Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Chairman and CEO Aart de Geus argues that the transatlantic trade talks have the potential to standardize critical and often-emotional issues including food safety, environmental protection, data protection, and worker’s rights across the US and EU. The negotiating partners should therefore continue their talks with greater transparency and include the public in the debate. [Euractiv]

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