BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The negotiations on the trade deal between Europe and the United States, that stipulates the free trade zone between the two regions and that is set to be finalized before the end of the year, have been going for the last three years, but 14 rounds of talks have not brought any result.
"Taking into consideration the forthcoming elections in Austria, France, Germany, as well as in the United States itself, any substantial progress could not be expected in the TTIP negotiations before the end of June, 2017," the source said.
The detailed content of the agreement is kept in secret from the public, but according to the leaks, TTIP will affect food safety laws, environmental legislation, banking regulations and open the European Union for genetically-modified crops.
In recent months the agreement has been repeatedly criticized by officials from Germany, France, Austria and Belgium, because of the US unwillingness to make concessions in the ongoing talks.
