The French government wants the European Union to end talks with the United States on forging a sweeping trade deal that it sees as too friendly to USA businesses.
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“Although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now and the Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations”, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.
Austria’s economy minister has joined a chorus of European officials who want or expect an end to Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks.
French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday became the latest European leader to speak out against the free trade agreement, saying talks would not meet their deadline.
Stop TTIP campaigns have been particularly vocal in Germany and Austria, which supporters of TTIP say are among the countries most likely to benefit from increased USA trade.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday praised CETA.
The Austrian authorities worry that TTIP may potentially compromise food safety standards and threaten European businesses.
The Bertelsmann Foundation poll showed only 17% of Germans saw TTIP as a good thing in April, down from 55% two years earlier.
Austria is ready to confront other European Union members states over its opposition to a free trade deal with Canada, Chancellor Christian Kern said, because it sees it containing numerous same problems as one being negotiated with the United States.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, White House Spokesman Josh Earnest admitted “significant aspects” of the deal were unresolved, but said US Trade Representative Michael Froman would travel to Europe in an effort to push the talks forward.
TTIP could be a warning of what’s to come for the United Kingdom and trade relationships with the U.S. and EU.
And with the trade deal’s biggest supporter within the European Union having voted in favour of quitting the bloc, this puts negotiations on a further back foot.
Angela Merkel herself still back the talks. Her chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, said the government had agreed three years ago that TTIP should go ahead because it’s in Germany’s interest. “With all the mess around TTIP, we must deliver CETA”, the person said. “And it is clear that for the moment we do not have enough – we can’t conclude before the end of the year”, the Swede said. A petition urging the French government to end negotiations has attracted nearly 100,000 signatures while a march against the trade deal attracted either 100,000 or 250,000 protesters, according to figures given by the police and the organisers respectively.
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“Very soon you end in a blame game”, said Mr. Lee-Makiyama.
