US – EU
(BRUSSELS) – The 14th round of EU talks to agree the huge Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade accord with the United States got under way in Brussels Monday.
The week-long session is the third round of the controversial talks to take place in the last six months and continues a very intensive period of talks which started at the beginning of 2016.
The negotiators will continue to discuss all three pillars of TTIP, including market access for EU and US firms, regulatory cooperation, and the rules of trade.
The European Commission says it will be submitting proposals in a number of areas, such as regulatory cooperation, digital trade, and energy and raw materials.
The focus of the round will be on the more technical work of consolidating as many texts as possible and bringing positions closer together, in particular on regulatory cooperation and rules.
On Wednesday, a forum will take place where EU and US chief negotiators will brief stakeholders on the status of the negotiations, and stakeholders will have the opportunity to explain their views on TTIP related-issues to the negotiators.
Talks on the pact between the EU and the US – which would be the world’s biggest trade deal if it is finally agreed – began in 2013.
