The TTIP would create the biggest trading zone in the world opening up the EU and US markets to each other. However, the talks have been mired in controversy because of their secretive nature, disagreements over regulatory issues — food safety and genetic modification in particular — and the contentious Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism.
"We will never accept questioning essential principles for our agriculture, our culture and for the reciprocity of access to public [procurement] markets. At this stage [of the talks] France says 'No!' " Hollande told a meeting of left-wing politicians in Paris.
Until then, only a limited number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) — believed to be around 30 — had been able to access the so-called "consolidated texts", classified as EU-restricted, and reflecting the draft compromises between the EU and the US.
US-EU trade deal places corporate interests above environment & consumer safety #TTIPleaks https://t.co/0EKePW1Vop pic.twitter.com/LLtR0bYWq7
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) 3 May 2016
On May 2, campaign group Greenpeace Monday leaked hundreds of pages of documents from the consolidated texts which show deep divisions between the EU and the US, with many critics saying the talks are at an impasse and are about to collapse.
Frankenstein Food Fears
One of the major stumbling blocks has been over the detail of regulatory difference between the US and the EU. None is more important than food and farming — affecting what people put in their mouths.
4 major environmental concerns from the US-EU trade deal #TTIPleaks https://t.co/lyl6OvZv5t pic.twitter.com/glvPU42kOf
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) 3 May 2016
Food regulations in the EU and the US are different, with the EU being less open to genetic modification that the US. In order to have a trade agreement, the two sides need to agree on a common regulatory framework.
However, the EU currently excludes beef and pork treated with growth hormones, chicken washed in chlorine, fruit and vegetables treated with endocrine-disrupting pesticides and genetically engineered and modified foods, all of which are common in the US.
Meanwhile, there are fears that locally protected foodstuff in the EU — such as Parma ham, Feta cheese, Champagne, Melton Mowbray pork pies and Stilton cheese — may be the subject of legal action. Under the TTIP, any restrictions on US foodmakers importing their versions into the EU, could lead to the producer taking action against the EU or member state governments.
That would trigger the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which critics say is a controversial trade tribunal system, separate from EU member states judiciary systems. Under ISDS, companies are able to sue states that ban the sale of their products for loss of profits.
