Saturday, 24
September, 2016 - 15:30
The
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the United States
and the European Union (EU) won't be finished until the end of this year,
Slovak Economy Minister Peter Ziga said Friday.
"It
emerged from the discussion between the ministers on the state of the talks
that a conclusion of negotiations with the USA by the end of this year is
unrealistic," Ziga told a press conference after informal meeting of EU
trade and economy ministers in Bratislava.
"Another
important element will be the upcoming presidential elections in the USA. Any
agreement, including TTIP, has to be balanced and beneficial for the EU. The
quality of the agreement is more important than the speedy adoption
thereof," said Ziga.
"We've
shifted the debate on the agreement further. It will be discussed by top
officials of individual countries at the Council of the EU on October 20-21
with prime ministers taking part," said Ziga.
Meanwhile, the
economy and trade ministers will discuss the issue further on Nov. 11, taking
into account the results of the summit.
THE TPP AND TTIP ARE LIKELY TO FAIL?
21.09.2016
On Tuesday,
September 20nd, Brussels hosted a large-scale protest against the signing of
the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Just before, mass
demonstrations took place in various German cities.
The reaction of
European citizens to the TTIP is quite predictable. It is not the first year of
the initiative that groups and non-governmental organizations in Europe have been
closely observing the negotiations between the US and the Brussels bureaucracy.
First, the problem is that they take place behind closed doors, which violates
democratic principles. Second, the interests of transnational corporations
dominate over both the rights and freedoms of citizens and states.
Threat for EU
Even a cursory
analysis of this agreement’s implications reveals serious threats to the EU
economy. The first ten years would bring losses for European exports. Northern
Europe, France and Germany would be severely affected. There would be a GDP
decline and fall in employment income. Work place cut backs and budget deficit
increases are expected in all European countries.
Given Brexit
and the migration crisis, similar changes could have disastrous consequences
for the EU. Therefore, the dissatisfaction of ordinary Europeans is affirmed.
In addition, it
should be noted that NATO is an additional element of the transatlantic
partnership. The US not only wants to install an additional mode of economic
dependence upon European countries, but also preserve NATO as an engine for a
new transatlantic partnership which, according to the White House, would
improve mutual security and transatlantic agreement. In other words, it would
make the EU vulnerable to the US’ liberal political elite’s “solutions.”
Why does Washington
need such? The answer is evident: to maintain the status of a global hegemon in
the full sense of this word. Still no one questions the US’ military might
(from GDP indicators and defense to the availability of a vast network of of
military bases around the world and partnerships with satellites).
Aggressive
Globalism
The United
States must integrate economic and financial instruments into its foreign
policy that can be called the geo-economics, or they risk losing their status
of the world power, says a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations,
Robert Blackwill ( also the Envoy of the President of the USA in Iraq, and US
Ambassador in India from 2001-2003) and his colleague Jennifer Harris (a member
of the State Department under the Obama administration) in their book War by Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft. At the
same time, they openly say that the USA should use its position as an energy
superpower to secure transactions on the Trans-Pacific (TPP) and Transatlantic
(TTIP) partnerships that would help counterbalance Chinese and Russian
geo-economic policy.
We do not even
have to read between the lines to understand the true purpose of the
Trans-Pacific and the Transatlantic Partnerships initiated by the United
States. First, despite the fact that they include several Latin American
countries, they are intended for the long-term containment of China's economic
expansion. Secondly, they are directed against Russia, or more precisely,
preventing closer cooperation between the EU countries and the Russian
Federation.
It is no
accident, according to Pew Research Center poll in early 2016, that the most
reliable satellites of Washington from Eastern Europe - Romania, Poland,
Lithuania and Estonia - were for the transatlantic partnership with more than
70% of “yes” votes, while the economic engine of the EU, Germany, gained only
39% in favor of this project.
As it was
stated on the White House website, this partnership is an opportunity for the US to establish a number of
rules for global trade in the 21st century. And this possibility appears once
in a generation. The purpose of the agreement is to expand access to the
fastest growing markets of the world while maintaining high standards of
protection for American workers and consumers.
The importance
of the TPP and TTIP agreements’ implementation is enshrined in the US’ new
national strategywhich was signed by President Barack Obama in the beginning of February
2015, and it is a kind of doctrinal guidance for decision-makers for the next
five years. It says that the TPP and TTIP set high global standards for labor
law and environmental protection and eliminate barriers to exports, thus
turning the United States into the center of a free trade area covering
two-thirds of the world economy. The goal is to use this position, together
with a highly skilled workforce, a strong rule of law, and an excess of energy
available, to make America the production platform of choice and the first for
investment. In addition to these major regional agreements, it is important to
achieve an innovative agreement on the liberalization of the trade of services,
information technology, and environmental goods while the United States is a
world leader in innovation.
But these
postulates are not imperative for the American people. Obama lobbied for the
interests of transnational corporations, not those of the US. The skepticism
towards both projects –- the TPP and TTIP – originated not only in the EU and
the Pacific region. Part of the American political elite actively opposes the
ratification of the TPP agreement.
Problem with
TPP
Former Deputy
of the US Trade Representative Wendy Cutler announced last week at a press conference in Tokyo that the US would lose
credibility in the Asia-Pacific region if the agreement was not ratified by the
US Congress before the end of this year.
The
Republicans, supervising this direction, said earlier that before the elections
on November 8th, the ratification of the agreement could not be considered. A
number of American entrepreneurs, like their European counterparts, have found
compelling justification to believe that these projects will not bring real
benefits or pursue the real interests of the US and the US economy in
particular.
Outstanding
issues with the TPP can be found among stakeholders in the United States,
including farmers producing pork, the tobacco industry, the financial services
sector, and the pharmaceutical industry that all still exist. But a
renegotiation is not possible because of the many delicate differences among
the TPP countries.
The agreement
is supposed to take into account the ASEAN activities and China's economic
activity not only in Asia but also in Europe. The EU is now in a trap of
anti-Russian sanctions. Therefore, it can not rely on preferences from Russia.
However, the EU has the chance to restore its sovereignty and economic freedom
as long as the TTIP is not signed and ratified.
/https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2021/09/25/huawei-executive-meng-wanzhou-receives-warm-welcome-upon-return-to-china/_1_meng_wanzhou_2.jpg)
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