TTIP Fresh Start Underway, but US Transparency Lacking, Says Malstrom

The fresh start in Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks is "not only well on its way but is in fact already happening," said European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malstrom in a March 12 speech (here). The European Union is making particular headway through increased transparency, said Malstrom.

Several senators recently pushed the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to go public with TTIP negotiating texts, as its European counterpart has. The EU has released several TTIP chapters and is in different stages of releasing the remainder, said those senators in a February letter to USTR Michael Froman (here). USTR hasn't released any TTIP or Trans-Pacific Partnership texts.

Malstrom acknowledged the U.S. has to do more on transparency. "Even our deepest critics have to admit that there is a now great deal of information in the public domain," said Malstrom. "Do we need to do more on transparency? Possibly. I think we probably have reached the limits of what the EU can do on its own. But as the negotiations proceed we may decide, together with the US, to do more."

Nonetheless, the two sides will hold two large negotiating rounds before August. The EU aims to build on recent progress on car safety regulations, medicines, medical devices, clothing, cosmetics and machinery, she said. It's also "just a matter of time" until the two sides reach "a very high level outcome" on all market access, she said.