User:Jheald/sandbox/TTIP

News

 * World Trade Online http://insidetrade.com/index.php?option=com_customproperties&view=show&tagId=260&Itemid=1041
 * Glyn Moody http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/open-enterprise/2013/11/ttip-updates-the-glyn-moody-blogs/index.htm
 * Greens http://ttip2014.eu/

Resource pages

 * http://www.marietjeschaake.eu/2013/09/new-ttip-faq-the-negotiation-phase-events-updates-key-positions-and-docs/

Sensitivities

 * Leif Johan Eliasson, What is at stake in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)? Assessing challenges and possible compromises, Saarland University, 10 July 2014

Tariffs

 * "are low (3-4%), although higher in some sensitive sectors (dairy products, sugar, meat, tobacco, textiles)." (Europarl)


 * ADD Cmt that it is regulation rather than tariff reduction driving the economics of the deal (*but* does this include market access?)


 * TRACK DOWN "Disappointment" in initial offers. (and percentage of tariffs offered).


 * ADD More detailed discussion of the economics

Agriculture

 * Alan Matthews, Does TTIP (and TPP) require TPA?, CAP Reform.eu
 * "Some European food products, such as apples and various cheeses, are currently banned from the US market; others are subject to high US tariffs – meat 30%, drinks 22-23%, and dairy products up to 139%. "
 * http://www.forumforagriculture.com/newstpl.php?link=What_is_the_TTIP_and_how_does_it_affect_agriculture?
 * "The US is interested in selling more of its agricultural commodities, such as wheat and soy. EU exports to the US are mostly higher value food products like spirits, wine, beer, and processed food (such as cheeses, ham and chocolate). Europe has a clear interest in being able to sell more of the top quality foods it produces to the US. At the moment, some European food products, such as apples and various cheeses, are banned from the US market; others are subject to high US tariffs – meat 30%, drinks 22-23%, and dairy products up to 139%. Removing these and other barriers will help boost EU exports to the US." -- quoting EC

Textiles

 * http://www.just-style.com/analysis/apparel-and-textiles-face-specific-issues-in-ttip-talks_id121851.aspx
 * The average EU tariff on apparel is 12% and the average US tariff on apparel is 15%, but can be considerably higher . French clothing and textile exporters – most of whom are small and medium sized firms – currently pay tariffs of over 30% and 40% respectively to put their products on sale in the US, Karel De Gucht, European Commissioner for Trade, pointed out last month.
 * http://www.theglobalist.com/tariffs-textiles-ttip/

Sticking points

 * CHECK House of Lords report
 * Dennis Novy http://www.voxeu.org/article/ttip-free-trade-coming-north-atlantic#.U8kgZ5QVW5w.twitter
 * 'Important sticking points'


 * Bottlenecks http://www.marietjeschaake.eu/2013/09/new-ttip-faq-the-negotiation-phase-events-updates-key-positions-and-docs/ Marietje Schaake


 * Alan Winters http://www.voxeu.org/article/problem-ttip
 * Worried about exclusionist attitude to China
 * worried that TTIP is buttressing TPP, wch he believes has undesirable elements
 * "... it is generally accepted that TTIP is more important to Europe than to the US, which greatly strengthens the US’s hand in negotiations ..."


 * Fredrik Erixon, http://www.voxeu.org/article/trans-atlantic-trade-and-investment-partnership-and-european-parliament 18 May 2014
 * "... expected that TTIP will face stronger political resistance as parties will come with a new and incorrigible ‘mandate’ that is incompatible with ISDS or controversial changes in Europe’s regulations to fit better with US regulations ..."

Geopolitics

 * US Ambassador: Beyond growth, TTIP must happen for geostrategic reasons Euractiv 17 July (interview with US Ambassador)

ISDS

 * http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2014/07/02/far-from-being-a-threat-to-european-democracy-the-eu-us-free-trade-deal-is-an-ideal-opportunity-to-reform-controversial-investment-rules-and-procedures/ Opportunity (Robert Basedow)
 * https://www.kent.ac.uk/law/isds_treaty_consultation.html Statement of 100 academics (U of Kent)
 * http://www.parliament.uk/Templates/BriefingPapers/Pages/BPPdfDownload.aspx?bp-id=SN06777 HoC briefing paper

Environment and ISDS

 * http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/conservation/trading-down

NHS and ISDS

 * http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/press/frontpage/2014/14_72_en.htm Letter to John Healey MP
 * https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/john-hilary/on-ttip-and-nhs-they-are-trying-to-bamboozle-us John Hilary rejoinder

Greek haircut example

 * http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/healthcare/len-mccluskey-is-not-entirely-correct-about-the-nhs-and-ttip/

Food

 * http://www.beuc.eu/publications/beuc-x-2014-054_cpe_beuc_statement_on_food_ttip.pdf
 * http://capreform.eu/food-safety-in-the-us-eu-ttip-negotiations/ - detailed look at the history & effectiveness

Precautionary principle?

 * http://www.regblog.org/2014/07/14-bull-schlosser-regulatory-science-and-the-ttip.html
 * http://www.eng.notre-europe.eu/011-19897-The-reality-of-precaution.html
 * http://di.dk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Marked/TransatlanticPerspectivesOnRiskRegulationAndTTIP-19.06.14.pdf

GIs

 * http://capreform.eu/geographical-indications-gis-in-the-us-eu-ttip-negotiations/ Not such a problem?
 * https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140312/11300926551/will-cheese-derail-taftattip.shtml

Financial services

 * FIND EU cited examples of claimed exclusions
 * FIND US claims of lower EU standards


 * http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ttip-wont-let-big-banks-wriggle-out-regulations-eu-negotiators-insist-1454926

Cars

 * FIND NYT piece on homologation; vans being disassembled & reassembled

IPRs

 * http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1131 IPR update, July 2014
 * http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/html/152670.htm TTIP and Culture

Why not also Access to Knowledge

 * important countervailing principle, eg for trade secrets / commercial confidentiality
 * part of the justification for patents
 * importance recognised in Fair Use law
 * upcoming Wikimedia session
 * https://wikimania2014.wikimedia.org/wiki/Submissions/Crazy_Contentious_Copyright_Challenges_Constraining_Community_Creativity
 * eg entry into public domain (1923); fair use; freedom of panorama (images made in the uk taken down); threshold of originality; etc.
 * TTIP only interested in converging regulations to help businesses, not people?

Stakeholder meeting

 * http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/html/152668.htm programme

Regulatory Cooperation Council

 * Discussed at 23.04.2014 stakeholder mtg.

"Regulatory Coherence"

 * "regulatory equivalence" vs  race to the bottom
 * different approaches
 * "each side recognizing the equivalency of the other’s regulatory regime; and, second, minimizing differences by reducing and/or eliminating unnecessary, inconsistent, or duplicative requirements."
 * NGO assertions

Transparency

 * http://keionline.org/node/2021 U.S. restrictions
 * http://keionline.org/node/2033 EU restrictions
 * http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-549_en.htm De Gucht at EP debate, 15 July 2014
 * reading room restrictions also mentioned in die Welt piece


 * https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/250-globalization-of-the-economy/52500-busting-the-myths-of-transparency-around-the-eu-us-trade-deal.html
 * http://corporateeurope.org/trade/2013/06/transatlantic-corporate-bill-rights
 * http://corporateeurope.org/trade/2013/09/european-commission-preparing-eu-us-trade-talks-119-meetings-industry-lobbyists
 * http://infojustice.org/archives/32290 -- on reading rooms


 * Note NGO advisory cttee also only has access thro' reading room -- see minutes for 12 May 2014. And only EU docs 23 April 2014.
 * Not even the chairman of INTA can see U.S. papers. -- debate, July 2014


 * Debate: Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE): I am not a member of the INTA Committee, I am a member of the U.S. delegation, I am a member of the Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue. I can not go into the room 4C18 in Brussels and I look at the documents. I cannot ask my colleagues Jadot, who has been there, what he has seen. That's not enough! We need full access to all key negotiating documents. And for the NGOs and the civil society, we need the same access, the industry lobby has long had.

Commentators

 * http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2014/07/21/ttip-has-the-potential-to-be-a-forum-which-sets-21st-century-trade-rules-but-needs-more-attention-and-support-from-the-highest-levels-of-government/ Dennis Novy (VoxEU version)


 * http://www.welt.de/print/wams/wirtschaft/article130348973/Tod-eines-Handelsabkommens.html (Death of a Trade Agreement), Die Welt, 20 July


 * http://speri.dept.shef.ac.uk/2014/07/22/ttip-global-trade-politics/ Different fault lines to conventional trade negotiations (Gabriel Siles-Brugge)


 * http://sofies-verkehrte-welt.de/dossier-handel/ Latest stories (German)


 * http://www.euractiv.com/sections/trade-industry/calling-time-ttip-303577 Calling Time on TTIP, Emma Woodford, EPHA
 * "A shift in the way Brussels goes about negotiating trade deals is needed. In order for TTIP to work, consumer protection, social, environmental and public health interests, should be considered on a par with business concerns. Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and the respect for human rights are the founding principles upon which the European Union is based."


 * http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100280763/opponents-of-the-eu-us-trade-deal-should-watch-this-video/ Daniel Hannan (Con MEP, SE England) - comparative advantage


 * http://www.libdemvoice.org/ttip-the-useu-trade-deal-what-is-it-and-where-is-it-up-to-41709.html


 * https://storify.com/FinlandInc/ttip

TPP

 * http://www.dailycamera.com/guest-opinions/ci_26174276/tpp-bad-deal "Former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said that if the people knew what was in the agreement, it would raise such opposition that it could make the deal impossible to sign. "
 * http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/opinion/obamas-covert-trade-deal.html?_r=1& NYT quoting Reuters, June 2013

Europarl

 * http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/plenary/video?debate=1405436531874 Debate (video)
 * http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+CRE+20140715+ITEM-009+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN text