AMSTERDAM: Secret negotiations between the US and EU for the biggest bilateral trade agreement ever negotiated resume in New York. The talks are attracting increasing criticism as activists guess at the proposals while politicians keep the details behind closed doors.
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is a massive new trade deal, expected to be completed in the next few months, that would cut tariffs on imported goods between the two powers while standardising safety rules.
That might mean Scottish manufacturers can sell woollen jumpers in the US cheaply, while give US brands direct access to the EU market. Critics say it could reduce European safety standards and allow the privatisation of services such as the NHS.
But we cannot sure, because the negotiations occur behind closed doors. One MEP told the Guardian she had to sign a document of some 14 pages, reminding her that ‘EU institutions are a valuable target’ and of the dangers of espionage. She also had to agree not to share any of the contents with her constituents.
Karel de Gucht, the European minister for trade, has denied that the talks are secret. He said no agreement would become law before it had been thoroughly examined and signed off by the US government and 28 EU council constituents.
