Germany says TTIP talks with US failed
Germany says negotiations between the European Union and the United States over a free trade agreement have failed.
Germany's Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters that the talks had failed to make progress on any of the major sections of the long-running negotiations over the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP.
Gabriel accused the US of being "angry" about the deal that the EU struck with Canada, known as CETA. He said US officials believe that CETA contains elements that Washington does not want to see in the TTIP, AP reported.
"We mustn't submit to the American proposals," said Gabriel, who is also Germany's Vice Chancellor and the head of the country’s center-left Social Democratic Party.
"In my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it," he said.
The official further emphasized that in 14 rounds of talks, the two sides had failed to agree on a single common item out of 27 chapters being discussed.
Gabriel's ministry is not directly involved in talks with the US over the TTIP because trade agreements are negotiated at the EU level, AP added. Nevertheless, such a damning verdict from a leading official in Europe's biggest economy is likely to make further talks between the EU executive and President Barack Obama's administration harder, the report emphasized.
Gabriel's comments contrast with those of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last month that TTIP was "absolutely in Europe's interest."
Popular opposition to a free trade agreement with the United States is strong in Germany, AP added. Campaigners have called for nationwide protests against the talks on 17 September 2016 — almost a year before Germany's next general elections.
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