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
President’s 2014 Trade Policy Agenda Underscores Commitment to Bolstering Middle Class, American Values through Trade
United States Trade Representative Michael Froman issued a statement regarding President Obama’s 2014 Trade Policy Agenda report issued to Congress earlier this week. (See statement here and full Trade Policy Agenda here)
Germany’s Foreign Minister at Brookings on Snowden, TTIP and Ukraine
Last Friday, the Brookings Institution’s Center on the United States and Europe hosted German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier for a speech on transatlantic cooperation and trade. The minister called TTIP “our single biggest lever of [economic] opportunity,” and emphasized the German government’s commitment to the project. (See full address here)
Another Year, Another Export Record
The US Department of Commerce announced that the President Obama’s National Export Initiative launched four years ago is working. For the fourth year running, the United States has set a new record for exports. (International Trade Administration)
News
Frackers May Benefit From US-EU Trade Accord: Opponents
Environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth Europe are worried that the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms in TTIP would encourage the development of hydraulic fracking in Europe. Several large US corporations are already investing in speculative European projects, which could expand Europe’s domestic energy output if given the green light by regulators. (Bloomberg)
US Hopes Boom in Natural Gas Can Curb Putin
Given that about 80 percent of natural gas pipelines from Russia to Europe run through Ukraine, and Europe imports 40 per cent of its fuel from Russia, Europe feels overly reliant on Russian energy. Therefore, there is powerful momentum gathering behind the idea that TTIP should address freeing up US gas exports to the European Union to diversify its energy mix. (New York Times)
Pressure on Hill builds for gas exports to counter Vladimir Putin
On Wednesday, Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) and Representative Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced bills to their respective chambers of Congress to make it easier for the United States to export energy to Europe, especially in the immediate aftermath to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in Ukraine. (Politico)
Recent Analysis
Democrats Need to Support Free Trade
Roll Call contributors and former Clinton Administration officials Stuart E. Eizenstat and David M. Marchick underline that TTIP represents exactly the kind of free trade agreement that Democrats should endorse. Unlike the Central American FTA that most Democrats opposed in 2005 because of its perceived lack of strong labor and environmental standards, TTIP will look to improve already high safety, worker and environmental standards in the two regions where these standards are already highest. (Roll Call)
A Compromise to Advance the Trade Agenda: Purge Negotiations of Investor-State Dispute Settlement
Daniel Ikenson of the CATO Institute, a Washington, DC-based libertarian think tank, argues that leaving an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clause out of TPP and TTIP would not jeopardize the two agreements’ ultimate goal of liberalizing free trade. Including an ISDS clause in TTIP is one of the main sticking points that trade negotiators are tripping on, and simply removing this obstacle could go a long way towards concluding the two deals. (CATO Institute)
AICGS Insights on Trade, Education, and Cyber Security During Steinmeier’s Visit
While in Washington last week, German Foreign Minister Steinmeier called for the creation of a “Transatlantic Cyber Dialogue” to address the divergent data privacy policies pursued by the US and EU in recent years, exacerbated by the NSA scandal which has thrown a major wrench into US-German bilateral relations in recent months. Moreover, if TTIP negotiations are to eventually succeed, the data privacy issue must be addressed credibly by both sides. (American Institute for Contemporary German Studies)
Upcoming Events
TPA, TPP, TTIP, and You: When Will We Enjoy the Fruits of the US Trade Agenda? – March 7 (More information)
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Stakeholder Event in Brussels – March 12 (More information)
“USA, EU, Spain – Towards Trade Integration and Economic Growth” – in Madrid, Spain on March 12 (RSVP here)
Round 4 of TTIP Negotiations in Brussels – March 10-14
President Obama travels to Brussels for a US-EU Summit – March 26