By D. Karampelas
The first session of the ECOFIN, while kicking off in a slow pace, turned rather fruitful.
The first moderated caucus that was entertained, was on the future of the TTIP negotiations. During this caucus and the ones that followed, various positions and ideas were expressed. Spain and Italy expressed the need to follow an open negotiating policy, in order that the agreement will be beneficial for both sides. Slovakia and Cyprus, alongside Sweden, urged the need for transparency, while Slovenia considered primary to focus on CETA due to the positive stance of the Canadian government. The UK proposed to stay equally focused on the TTIP, as “there is a need to classify the stance of the US”.
One of the most prominent supporters of CETA and TTIP as of now, the Republic of Ireland, stated: “Ireland is ready to support any proposal that will forward the interests of the EU firstly and foremostly. We believe that we could negotiate with USA and Canada on the proposal followed: mixed tribunals by EU (nationals and ECJ) and the other counterpart, where we could forward any important issue in controversy.”
Germany also stated:
“The points of our policy are clear: maintenance of the existing financial environment by proceeding with the ratification of CETA agreement, re-examining the potential negotiations with the new US government, continuing the TTIP and continuing the process of BREXIT respecting the Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union. As the German Minister of Finance, I believe that all countries are eager to be positive towards our statements, since we are aware of their trade policy, and I am sure that we can reach a consensus. We highly embrace the statement made by the British Minister to comply with the rules of the European Union until it officially exits the institution. There is no “a la carte menu” for any country and this must be clear.”
On the other hand, there are the ones that maintain a critical attitude, like Croatia and Belgium. Croatia mainly expressed fears over unemployment and Belgium doubted the mutual balance of the TTIP as an agreement. As the Belgian Minister stated: “We believe that it is not fair for a government to be sued by a company. Imagine for example Belgium being sued by McDonalds? Does that sound normal? We need to protect our citizens. That is why in the beginning, we had some oppositions concerning the CETA agreement. That is why we insist that the European Court of Justice assess investment-state dispute mechanisms in order to prevent the companies to do as they please.”
