France’s trade chief says he wants to ask the European Union to end talks with the US on forging a sweeping trade deal that his socialist government sees as too friendly to USA business.
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“Talks are now indeed entering a crucial stage but. provided the conditions are right, the commission stands ready to close this deal by the end of the year”, Schinas told a regular press briefing.
The European Union’s lead negotiator in trade talks with the United States is downplaying an assertion from the German economy minister that negotiations on the proposed pact have failed.
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.
“The negotiations are still not over”, said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert in Berlin on Merkel’s behalf.
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has made clear “the commission will not sacrifice Europe’s social health and its data protection standards, nor its cultural diversity on the altar of free trade”, spokesman Schinas said.
Gabriel noted Sunday that in 14 rounds of talks on the massive trans-Atlantic pact the two sides haven’t agreed on a single common item out of 27 chapters being discussed.
“At the last [summit], precisely because we were entering this hard and complex stage, President Juncker addressed his counterparts, checking whether there was political backing to conclude the deal by the end of the year”, Schinas said.
Germany’s economy minister said Sunday that negotiations have effectively collapsed, but a USA trade official said they’re making steady progress. But it still faces significant opposition on both sides of the ocean.
France has said it rejects the plan as it now stands because it is too friendly to USA business.
Christian Wigand, a spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm and which is leading the TTIP negotiations, said Sunday that the institution had no comment or reaction at this time.
It was right to continue negotiating, said Merkel’s spokesman, adding that although the European Union and US positions are partly different, decisive compromises were often only achieved in the last round of talks.
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