When President Obama opens the world’s largest industrial fair in the northern German city of Hannover today, he’ll be leading a delegation of American companies hoping to conquer new markets abroad. He’ll also be trying to complete one of his presidency’s main pieces of unfinished business – a trans-Atlantic trade pact.
Officials in Washington and Brussels are trying to clinch key parts of the deal before the end of the year, after which a new U.S. president and election campaigns in major European countries could complicate negotiations.
Proponents of the agreement – known as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP – argue that lowering tariffs and harmonizing rules would give a much-needed boost to businesses at a time of global economic uncertainty. Or as Obama put it when the talks launched three years ago: “New growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.”
But this rosy view of TTIP hasn’t caught the public’s imagination, particularly in Germany.
More than 100,000 people protested in Berlin in November against the proposed pact. On Saturday, police estimated some 35,000 marched against it in Hannover, carrying placards with slogans such as “Yes We Can – Stop TTIP!” Organizers put the turnout at 90,000.
Trade unions, nationalists and green groups have lobbied hard against the deal, claiming that it will drive down wages, erode consumer protection and environmental standards.
The discussions, due to resume on Monday in New York, have come under criticism for the secretive manner in which they’ve been conducted. National lawmakers are only allowed to view draft documents in special reading rooms and are forbidden from talking about the documents with experts, the news media or their constituents.
A spokesman for Germany’s Economy Ministry told the Associated Press that no draft proposals have been exchanged about numerous areas of negotiation.