Dim prospects for TTIP talks under Luxembourg EU presidency
By our dpa-correspondent and Europe Online
Berlin (dpa) — The chances for a conclusion to negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) this year are poor, Luxembourg‘s foreign minister said in an interview with a German newspaper published Monday.
"I see neither in the substance nor in the process a chance that under the Luxembourg presidency the TTIP negotiations will be concluded," Jean Asselborn told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Luxembourg takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1 for a six-month term.
Not a single important point has been resolved in the negotiations thus far, the Social Democrat said. One crucial point is that the US and the governments of all 50 states open tender processes to EU companies, he said.
On the issue of the investor-state dispute settlement clause, which spells out how to handle disputes between companies and member states, proposed arbitration panels would only be considered if they meet openly, if an appeal is possible and if judges instead of lawyers comprise them, according to Asselborn.
http://www.bilaterals.org/?dim-prospects-for-ttip-talks-under&lang=en
