The TTIP Gap: How a Trans-Atlantic Trade Deal Can Be Fixed

The US exported $344 billion to the EU, and the EU exported $450 billion to the US in 2013, reports Spiegel Online. Policymakers expect the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership to counter competition from Asia by streamlining regulations. German manufacturers anticipate meeting one US standard rather than 50 imposed by states. “In virtually every industrial sector today, a large number of different test procedures, certification rules and documentation requirements complicate trans-Atlantic trade,” the article notes. For example, German engineering firms must register in each state. Yet activists share horror stories about US corporate practices, including 23 hens crowded into a square meter and meat sprayed with chlorine. They fear a decline in environmental, labor and farm standards with backroom negotiators undermining local democratic preferences. Minimal labeling, ag-gag laws that outlaw photographing abuse of farm animals combined with legal procedures requiring proof of harm, could lead to lowering US costs winning out over Europe’s humane practices. “The anti-TTIP movement has achieved a great deal,” the article concludes, showing “how dangerous TTIP could become for consumer protection and civil liberties.” – YaleGlobal