What is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)?
This is a deal being negotiated between the European Union and the United States.Deliberations over the deal have been going on for years, but the first official round of talks took place in 2013.
It is hoped that whatever the agreement eventually looks like, it will result in increased trade and prosperity for those on both sides of the Atlantic.
Lower barriers to trade should
mean that more of it takes place, and the ensuing competition should
result in better and cheaper goods and services, making all sides better
off.
But it's not just tariffs that the TTIP is meant to tackle. Politicians also want to get rid of non-tariff barriers, known as NTBs, which are rules that countries or regions, such as the EU, impose on goods, such as standards and sizes.
TTIP is intended to bring about lower trade tariffs, and to reduce regulatory barriers that make trade between the US and the EU more costly than it need be. If approved by US and EU politicians, TTIP would be the biggest agreement of its kind.
But it's not just tariffs that the TTIP is meant to tackle. Politicians also want to get rid of non-tariff barriers, known as NTBs, which are rules that countries or regions, such as the EU, impose on goods, such as standards and sizes.
TTIP is intended to bring about lower trade tariffs, and to reduce regulatory barriers that make trade between the US and the EU more costly than it need be. If approved by US and EU politicians, TTIP would be the biggest agreement of its kind.
But the UK's decision to vote for
Brexit, and the election of Trump, make TTIP's future decidedly
uncertain, with many commentators now assuming that the agreement is
dead in the water.
By extension, he is also deeply critical of TTIP and is widely expected to either ditch the deal or renegotiate the trade deal.
Trump does not like the deals because he thinks they will hurt American workers and undercut US companies. His stance on trade is protectionist: he has vowed to shield Americans from the effects of globalised trade by slapping hefty tariffs on cheap Chinese imports of up to 45pc.
He has even talked of getting ride of Nafta, the North American Free Trade Area, and questioned the US' relationship with the World Trade Organisation.
He fears previously protected sectors in the US could be subject to liberalised rules that will disadvantage them. Many American states have “buy American” policies, and would put up a fight at the idea of TTIP overruling these.
Trump also wants to appoint "tough and smart trade negotiators to fight on behalf of American workers".
Read more....
The Biggest Threat to UK Democracy?
WHAT IS THE TTIP?
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a comprehensive free trade and investment treaty currently being negotiated – in secret – between the European Union and the USA. As officials from both sides acknowledge, the main goal of TTIP is to remove regulatory ‘barriers’ which restrict the potential profits to be made by transnational corporations on both sides of the Atlantic. (Pay particular attention to the 'in secret' element. You are not supposed to know too much about this Partnership, even though it might have a big effect on the future of our country.)
Since the EU has much stronger trade regulations protecting public health, food safety, and the environment, this 'harmonisation' really means deregulation in the EU; reducing protections for the environment and public health, in favour of exploiting them for corporate profits.
The deal is being celebrated all around by the Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and UKIP for its potential job creation and gains. However, the trade deal has MANY potentially serious issues that our Politicians are reluctant to talk about.
WHY SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT TTIP?
The regulatory ‘barriers’ are in reality some of our most prized social standards and environmental regulations, such as labour rights, food safety rules (including restrictions on GMOs), regulations on the use of toxic chemicals, digital privacy laws and even new banking safeguards introduced to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis. The stakes, in other words, could not be higher.
Thanks to the proposed deal's "Investor State Dispute Settlement", companies will be able to sue governments whose regulations put future profits at risk. So for example, fracking firms could take the government to court banning risky drilling, or private healthcare providers could sue a government which tries to protect the NHS. Or, perhaps an American tobacco company could chose to sue the UK if the Government tried to introduce controls on the sale of cigarettes, or wanted to introduce stricter control on advertising tobacco products. There are many possible scenarios where the commercial interests of a company, including overseas companies, could override our own national interests.
Further to the above, in order to trade under the TTIP, the UK could be forced to accept rules from other countries - which doesn't bode well for people complaining about the UK having too many laws from Brussels. Unions are also concerned that the weakened regulations will allow bosses to reduce wages and labour rights will suffer.
Our food regulations could also be worn down. Thanks to the equalisation of rules between the US and EU as part of the deal, the UK could be forced to relax regulations which could see the return of banned food products in Europe like chicken bleached with chlorine and growth hormones in beef.
Our environmental standards could be undermined. In order to match US standards, UK could be forced to reverse its ban on asbestos - which has been linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Your data and privacy could be at risk. US citizens do not have the same level of protection for their private data as EU citizens, so e-commerce provisions under the deal could see the safety of your private data put at risk.
As if all this was not enough, we are in the dark about much of the deal. Parts of the deal will only be unveiled once they're finally agreed by European Commission and US officials. Green Party MEP Keith Taylor told a reporter: "Even my colleagues who sit on the European Parliament's Trade Committee don't get a proper look at the negotiating document, and most MEPs don't get any say on the deal until we're presented it as a fait accompli.
Source: http://mikelclayton.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-dummies-guide-to-ttip-part-one.html
Why doesn't Trump like these deals?
Although Trump’s policy statements have been, at best, contradictory, he has been consistent in his opposition to TPP. "There is no way to fix the TTP," the president-elect said in June.By extension, he is also deeply critical of TTIP and is widely expected to either ditch the deal or renegotiate the trade deal.
Trump does not like the deals because he thinks they will hurt American workers and undercut US companies. His stance on trade is protectionist: he has vowed to shield Americans from the effects of globalised trade by slapping hefty tariffs on cheap Chinese imports of up to 45pc.
He has even talked of getting ride of Nafta, the North American Free Trade Area, and questioned the US' relationship with the World Trade Organisation.
He fears previously protected sectors in the US could be subject to liberalised rules that will disadvantage them. Many American states have “buy American” policies, and would put up a fight at the idea of TTIP overruling these.
Trump also wants to appoint "tough and smart trade negotiators to fight on behalf of American workers".
Read more....
The Biggest Threat to UK Democracy?
WHAT IS THE TTIP?
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a comprehensive free trade and investment treaty currently being negotiated – in secret – between the European Union and the USA. As officials from both sides acknowledge, the main goal of TTIP is to remove regulatory ‘barriers’ which restrict the potential profits to be made by transnational corporations on both sides of the Atlantic. (Pay particular attention to the 'in secret' element. You are not supposed to know too much about this Partnership, even though it might have a big effect on the future of our country.)
Since the EU has much stronger trade regulations protecting public health, food safety, and the environment, this 'harmonisation' really means deregulation in the EU; reducing protections for the environment and public health, in favour of exploiting them for corporate profits.
The deal is being celebrated all around by the Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and UKIP for its potential job creation and gains. However, the trade deal has MANY potentially serious issues that our Politicians are reluctant to talk about.
WHY SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT TTIP?
The regulatory ‘barriers’ are in reality some of our most prized social standards and environmental regulations, such as labour rights, food safety rules (including restrictions on GMOs), regulations on the use of toxic chemicals, digital privacy laws and even new banking safeguards introduced to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis. The stakes, in other words, could not be higher.
Thanks to the proposed deal's "Investor State Dispute Settlement", companies will be able to sue governments whose regulations put future profits at risk. So for example, fracking firms could take the government to court banning risky drilling, or private healthcare providers could sue a government which tries to protect the NHS. Or, perhaps an American tobacco company could chose to sue the UK if the Government tried to introduce controls on the sale of cigarettes, or wanted to introduce stricter control on advertising tobacco products. There are many possible scenarios where the commercial interests of a company, including overseas companies, could override our own national interests.
Further to the above, in order to trade under the TTIP, the UK could be forced to accept rules from other countries - which doesn't bode well for people complaining about the UK having too many laws from Brussels. Unions are also concerned that the weakened regulations will allow bosses to reduce wages and labour rights will suffer.
Our food regulations could also be worn down. Thanks to the equalisation of rules between the US and EU as part of the deal, the UK could be forced to relax regulations which could see the return of banned food products in Europe like chicken bleached with chlorine and growth hormones in beef.
Our environmental standards could be undermined. In order to match US standards, UK could be forced to reverse its ban on asbestos - which has been linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Your data and privacy could be at risk. US citizens do not have the same level of protection for their private data as EU citizens, so e-commerce provisions under the deal could see the safety of your private data put at risk.
As if all this was not enough, we are in the dark about much of the deal. Parts of the deal will only be unveiled once they're finally agreed by European Commission and US officials. Green Party MEP Keith Taylor told a reporter: "Even my colleagues who sit on the European Parliament's Trade Committee don't get a proper look at the negotiating document, and most MEPs don't get any say on the deal until we're presented it as a fait accompli.
Source: http://mikelclayton.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-dummies-guide-to-ttip-part-one.html
