French Minister Slams US on TTIP

France’s minister for foreign trade, Matthias Fekl, has suggested that the EU should pull out of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) if the US does not create more transparency.

At a briefing on Sept. 29 in Brussels, Fekl said the US Congress has a higher level of access to crucial documents than Europeans have. He added that “Europe has offered many compromises, in all areas, and has received no serious offers” from the US side. In particular, he said American agricultural and food markets “remain closed.”

The French minister also pointed to a lack of a response from the US over key European proposals including tariffs, market opening and the EU’s recently presented plan for an arbitration court to settle disputes, which Fekl said was largely based on French proposals.

Independently of how the European Commission decides to proceed on TTIP, Fekl said France would be prepared to abandon the process altogether if the US does not make concessions. “If nothing changes, that will show that there is no willingness to ensure a mutually beneficial negotiation process,” he remarked.”