Tag: EU

Why reassurances that TTIP will not affect the right to regulate miss the point

At a recent debate on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), advocates for TTIP once again repeated the mantra that nothing in TTIP, not even the section on regulatory cooperation, will affect the right of the parties (the EU,...

/ September 29, 2015

Who is going to pay the bill for regulatory cooperation in TTIP?

Ever since I read the European Commission’s proposal on regulatory cooperation I have been trying to figure out how this system will work in practice. One thing which intrigued me was the price tag for engaging in this kind of...

/ July 24, 2015

Health: Is TTIP the pill for all our ills?

Transatlantic cooperation, done properly, could have a positive impact on consumers on both sides of the Atlantic in various areas, including health. Nevertheless, reading the EU’s positions on the pharmaceutical and medical devices[1] (e.g. pace makers, hip implants) chapters of...

/ July 14, 2015

Consumer crash course on TTIP negotiations: e-labelling

TTIP will not lower consumer protection standards. Or so they say and so why should we assume otherwise? Well, because from time to time you come across over a detail in the haul of TTIP information which makes you question...

/ June 22, 2015

“TTIP won’t lower standards” – Well then let’s break down how – UPDATE

Update: 11 September 2015 In this blog, I urged EU policy-makers to give us strong and tangible reassurances that TTIP wouldn’t lower standards. Well, they need to do a better job. The peace of the Brussels’ summer was indeed troubled...

/ April 23, 2015

TiSA mandate: a simple piece of paper or a symbol of democratic scrutiny?

While TTIP is in the spotlight… The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are not the only big trade negotiations happening now. The EU and 22 other member states[1] of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are currently negotiating a multi-party...

/ April 3, 2015

Regulatory cooperation: perhaps boring, but the TTIP storm on the horizon

Disclaimer: This analysis is based on the leaked version of the regulatory cooperation proposal. We will soon provide further analysis based on the textual proposal published by the Commission. Regulatory cooperation is on the face of it one of the least exciting...

/ February 3, 2015

How transparency can help monitor potential scandals in the TTIP negotiations

When I am asked why more transparency is needed in the TTIP negotiations, I reply it is because these trade negotiations are not mere ‘business as usual’; rules affecting our living standards are on the negotiating table and we should...

/ January 30, 2015

New year, new TTIP?

January kicked-off with three exciting developments on TTIP. It seems that in the wake of the 8th negotiating round of February TTIP has finally left its extended winter sleep. European Commission transparency “offensive” It started last week Wednesday when Commissioner...

/ January 16, 2015