TTIP and environment : a workshop in Rome to analyze the relation
On 13 July 2016, at the Italian offices of the European Parliament a workshop was organized by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), to promote public dialogue on environmental protection in the context of the transatlantic partnership on trade and investment (TTIP).
The project is based on a phase of desk-based research, followed by talks and workshops in nine EU Member States (A, CZ, D, DK, F, H, I, PL, SK). The results will be presented later as a case studies and reports.
At the begin of 2013, the EU and USA have started a negotiations on the Transatlantic Partnership for Trade and Investment (TTIP). The EU and the USA represent nearly half of world GDP and potentially TTIP could become the largest bilateral trade agreement ever negotiated.
The negotiations aim to achieve results in three following :
- Market free access - including trade in goods (tariffs on imports and exports), trade in services and investment, public procurement, etc.
- Regulatory aspect and non-tariff barriers (NTB), included sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), in order to protect human beings , animal or plant, procedures for conformity assessment, technical regulations, standards, regulatory cooperation, etc.
- Rules, principles and new forms of cooperation to face the challenge and opportunities and challenges posed by global trade, such as issues on intellectual property, trade and sustainable development, energy trading and raw materials, small and medium enterprises, etc.
The negotiations on the TTIP have raised concerns among interest groups, politicians and European citizens both with regard to the implications for the environment and for policy and environmental legislation at EU and national level. During the workshop, which was attended by an ISPRA expert, has been assessed the potential environmental impact of TTIP in Italy.
The publication of the final results of the project is scheduled for December 2016.