Europe and the United States began a new round of talks on TTIP

USPA NEWS - Experts from the European Union and the United States started Monday in Brussels the eighth round of negotiations on the FTA TTIP. Both sides hope to have reached an agreement before the end of the year.

However, it will not be easy. The TTIP is finding increasing opposition in the European Parliament and EU countries, some as important as Germany. The delegations are headed by the Spanish Ignacio Garcia Bercero, on the European side, and the American Dan Mullaney, the American side. According to sources from the European Commission, the round of negotiations that began Monday will address all items on the TTIP, with the exception of the creation of supranational courts of arbitration, which will be discussed later.

The remaining issues will be debated over the coming months, looking for an agreement satisfactory to both parties. In the first quarter of 2015, the Commission will organise a number of consultation meetings with EU governments, the European Parliament, and different stakeholders, to discuss investment protection and ISDS in TTIP. The Commission will develop specific proposals for the TTIP negotiations. Recently, a survey commissioned by the European Commission revealed opposition to the existing EU Treaty.