“The ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress. provided the conditions are right, the Commission stands ready to close this deal by the end of the year”, said Margaritis Schinas, the chief spokesperson of the European Commission.
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German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who is also Germany’s vice chancellor, had said Sunday that “in my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it”.
Sigmar Gabriel of Germany, the EU’s biggest economy, said on Sunday that negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) had failed because Europe rejected some US demands.
Top officials of other industry associations such as VDMA and the Auto Industry Association VDA also spoke out against Gabriel’s comments which highlight growing divisions within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition ahead of next year’s elections.
While increased trade and the removal of barriers to trade appear on one hand to benefit both sides of the agreement, negotiations have stalled over whether the benefits would be evenly distributed.
On Sunday, the vice chancellor told German television that “the talks with the U.S. have de facto failed because we Europeans of course must not succumb to American demands”.
Asked Monday by The Associated Press whether Gabriel’s claims were true, chief European Union negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero said: “No, no”.
And the fact that former British Prime Minister David Cameron – an outspoken proponent of TTIP – is no longer involved in negotiations is another major setback for the deal, which at this point is believed by many to be dead in the water. The European Commission says it would be worth 545 euros ($620) to each European citizen every year.
They are angry that the talks are being held in secret. The TTIP draft has been kept under wraps – which is not unusual for big trade agreements. WikiLeaks has offered 100,000 euros ($114,000) for the documents.
The European Commission on Monday insisted talks on a huge U.S. free trade agreement were on track, rejecting German claims that irreconcilable differences had left the deal dead in the water. Schinas says the European Commission still has the mandate to also commit London in its negotiations, although many doubt that is still politically the case.
Many in Europe are also anxious the deal could lead to a watering down of Europe’s existing regulations on food safety and environmental protection, which are often a lot stricter than in the U.S.
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Popular opposition to a free trade agreement with the United States is strong in Germany.
