The ninth round of US-EU negotiations on a massive US-EU trade deal will open in New York on Monday, with negotiators still looking for the “fresh start” that they had hoped would happen earlier this year.
The negotiations aim to create the world’s largest free trade zone in a trade agreement that would tie the US and the 28-nation EU even more closely together.
Top trade officials in Brussels and Washington have been talking about a “fresh start” since the appointment of a new EU executive and mid-term elections in the US late last year.
In December, EU leaders gave renewed commitment to a goal of late 2015 to conclude negotiations on the deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
But many outstanding issues remain.
At the last round in Brussels in early February, US chief negotiator Dan Mullaney said it had been constructive, but “we do need to see more, further concrete progress ... if we are to turn this fresh start into a reality.”
European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom was more upbeat about a fresh start speaking in Brussels last month. She said it was well under way, citing the EU’s push for more transparency and the accelerating pace of the talks.
TTIP aims to dismantle regulatory barriers and would for example cover food safety standards, data protection and other non-tariff barriers.
Negotiations on the pact have been slow in part because consumer groups on both sides of the Atlantic are worried the deal could lead to a watering down of standards and a loss of regulatory control.
The talks in February focused largely on regulatory barriers, such as differences in technical standards and regulations on food and animal health.
The EU has presented plans to encourage regulators to co-operate and co-ordinate their work. The aim is to cut back on practices such as duplicate factory inspections.
The talks that kick off on Monday will be the ninth such gathering since talks started in 2013.
The TTIP has drawn vocal criticism. Some of the staunchest opponents in Germany. Surveys indicate that the majority of Germans are against it.
Provisions for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) have been a persistent sticking point. Opponents say they would grant foreign corporations special privileges against governments.
Some Democratic members of Congress have complained to President Barack Obama about the ISDS provisions in the deal. But Obama already has signalled that he is willing to defy his own fellow party members by striking compromises with Republicans, who took hold a majority in Congress.
