To conclude an agreement with the European Union regarding the Transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) before the end of the year. The goal continues to be put in front of US despite the actual failure of Germany and France to continue the negotiations. The determination of Washington to achieve the target reaffirmed in the course of regular press briefing by the press Secretary the White house Josh Ernest.
“The negotiations continue. The President [Barack Obama] has set the ambitious goal to conclude negotiations by the end of this year. And our goal still is to complete these negotiations before the end of the year,” Ernest commented on yesterday’s statement of Minister of economy of Germany Sigmar Gabriel, talks with US about creating the world’s largest free trade zone has failed.
Well, today for the termination of the dialogue on the Transatlantic partnership between the EU and the USA after Germany made France. This position was publicly designated by the Secretary of state for foreign trade at the French Ministry of foreign Affairs Matthias Fekl.
“France demands end to negotiations on TAFTA (Transatlantic free trade area — ed.) and the TTIP,” wrote FeCl in his Twitter.
The transatlantic partnership means creating the largest in human history of free trade space, where 820 million people. This commercial Union would unite the two main economic center of the planet — the US and the EU, plus Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and candidate countries for EU membership, would cover half of world GDP and a third of global trade.
Negotiations of the European Union and the United States on the TTIP are from July 2013. In the plans of Washington was to successfully complete negotiations before the end of office of Obama , that is until November 2016. However, the result of 14 rounds of negotiations the parties have not agreed on any of the 27 heads of agreement.
Against TTIP in the EU are influential groups who believe that the Transatlantic partnership will destroy the “European social model” of development and will negatively affect the labour rights of citizens. Critics of the Treaty believe that it will weaken the control over the protection of the natural environment.
These concerns found direct confirmation in early may of this year when German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, with reference to the secret protocols of the negotiations that have become the property of the environmental organization “Greenpeace”, actually accused Washington of putting pressure on Brussels. It turns out that the US in the process of dialogue promised to create barriers to the export of cars from EU to America, if the EU does not facilitate the import of American agricultural products. Washington thus wants to seek permission to export to Europe products banned in the EU components of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and hormone-treated meat. The scandal broke out loud.
However, Washington continues to believe in the success of the negotiations about the creation of the TTIP. And continue to drive the horses. The fact that the signing of the Transatlantic partnership into the hands of American energy companies who want to flood Europe with its LNG (liquefied natural gas). The transatlantic partnership will significantly reduce the competitiveness of the European gas market. Manufacturers from the United States will be able to sell their more expensive gas in the EU, and Gazprom simply unable to block or restrict access to Europe through an administrative procedure.
For this we have to act quickly. After all Germany, even though a US ally, could not resist the temptation to become a major transit country for Russian gas to the EU and to push the same construction of the pipeline “Nord stream 2”. So for Washington, it is essential to discuss the details of the creation of the TTIP by 2017. Because in the coming year expire powers of not only President Obama, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and her possible replacement may not be as Pro-American-minded.
