/ world today news/ The last attempt to reach an agreement between the EU and the US on free trade before the end of the term of American President Barack Obama has failed, European trade ministers were categorical after their meeting in Bratislava.
“Achieving a final agreement before the end of Obama’s term is not realistic,” said Peter Zyga, trade minister of Slovakia, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
The second term of the American head of state expires at the end of this year.
Earlier today, Austrian Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner announced that during today’s meeting, Austria and France will today propose to end the current round of negotiations between the US and the EU on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and to start new talks on an agreement under a different name.
“The free trade talks with the US must start again under a new name and with different independent positions,” he said in an interview with Germany’s Welt newspaper.
Mitterlehner also indicated that he and French Trade Minister Mathias Feckl would push for a fresh start to negotiations when trade ministers meet in the Slovak capital Bratislava. According to him, the new negotiations should begin after the election for a new president in the USA on November 8.
Officially, the desire of Washington and Brussels was for the TTIP to be signed before the term of the current US President Barack Obama expires.
At the same time, at today’s meeting, the trade ministers unanimously supported the implementation of CETA – the trade agreement between the EU and Canada. According to sources, its final implementation could be signed as early as the end of next month. /AFP, BGNES
Bratislava / Slovakia
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