‘Greater Public Scrutiny’ Needed of Secret US-EU Trade Negotiations, MPs Warn
The debate over the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) continues to suffer from a lack of transparency, warns a reportby the UK Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Committee.
The secretive nature of the negotiations between the European Union and the United States on this major free trade deal has resulted in an “oversimplification and misrepresentation of arguments on both sides” the Committee concludes.
Adrian Bailey, Chair of the BIS Committee said: “More detail needs to be made available to allow greater public scrutiny of this extensive trade agreement.”
The report argues that “Everyone involved in the debate on TTIP—campaigners, lobbyists, theUK Government and the European Commission—must ensure that an evidence-based approach is at the heart of any TTIP debate.”
“Unfortunately, in the absence of that detail or undertakings that negotiating texts will be made public, the debate on the trade agreement has become polarised.”
Environmental Risks
The high degree of secrecy means it is impossible to monitor or evaluate what issues are being taken into account the report explains. This echoes concerns previously raised by MPsabout whether or not environmental risks are being taken into consideration.
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