/ world today news/ About 70% of Germans disapprove of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This is according to a survey by the public television ARD.
Negotiations on a pact to drop trade and investment regulations between the US and the EU continue despite growing public and political criticism of the agreement. Earlier this week, working versions of the TPTI were leaked by the environmental organization Greenpeace, raising concerns that the free trade zone would challenge environmental, labor market and food safety standards in some European countries. The texts provoked speculation that big business could be acting in violation of national laws.
According to the majority of ARD respondents, TPTI will have “mostly” detrimental effects. Skeptics were at 70%, up from 55% in June 2014. For 79% of respondents, the main problem of the agreement is consumer rights.
Only 17% see mostly benefits from the deal. The study covered 500 Germans from various social circles.
At the same time, Chancellor Angela Merkel is one of the European leaders who still hope that the TTIP will be successfully negotiated by the end of the year. Its own economy minister, Sigmar Gabriel, warned last month that the talks “will fail” if the US refuses certain concessions.
This week, French President Francois Hollande directly stated that his country would not accept the trade agreement “at this stage” because of its position against “unregulated free trade”.
Last month, US President Barack Obama visited Germany and spoke with Merkel, Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and British David Cameron, one of the main topics being the successful conclusion of the TPTI saga.
During the talks, tens of thousands of Germans protested against the pact, which would have formed the world’s largest free trade area.
Berlin / Germany
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