Juncker to Ask EU Leaders to Reconfirm Support for TTIP in June - Spokesman

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will ask the leaders of the EU member states to reconfirm their support of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in June, a spokesman for the commission said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the European Commission, during the recent G7 summit, the leaders, who participated in the event, repeated their commitment to "apply the necessary political will" to reach a TTIP agreement in 2016.

"President Juncker feels that the time has come to ask heads of state and government of the European Union to have a new discussion on where we are and where we want to get with these negotiations [on TTIP]. At the upcoming June European Council President Juncker will ask the leaders of the EU to reconfirm the Commission's mandate to conduct these talks," Daniel Rosario said.

He added that if the European Union was to deliver on the commitment repeated at the G7 summit, the 28-nation bloc should ensure that its members had similar views on the agreement.

The TTIP agreement seeks to liberalize trade between the United States and Europe, creating the world's largest trade zone, encompassing more than 60 percent of global production, in the process.

Supporters of the agreement emphasize that it would create jobs and increase economic growth. Opponents warn that only big corporations would benefit from the agreement to the detriment of ordinary people.

The European Council, which consists of the heads of state or government of the 28-nation bloc, will hold its next meeting, on June 28-29.