‘TTIP has failed’, Germany’s Vice-Chancellor says

[webfact]

‘TTIP has failed’, Germany’s Vice-Chancellor says

 

 

BERLIN: -- Talks over the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – or TTIP – between Europe and the US have essentially failed, but ‘nobody is really admitting it’‘, Germany’s economy minister has said.

 

Sigmar Gabriel, who is Angela Merkel’s second-in-command, said hardly any progress had been made in recent years. Slamming the negotiations, the Vice-Chancellor said neither side had managed to even agree on a single common chapter.

 

“According to my assessment, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed although nobody really admits to it. And that is because, having had 14 rounds of negotiations made into 27 chapters there has not been a single joint statement… We must not allow ourselves to submit ourselves to the American proposals. In Europe we have our way of living together,” Gabriel said.

 

The controversial free trade deal has sparked protests and drawn heavy criticism from some European leaders.

 

In May, French President Francois Hollande threatened to block the deal under its current guise.

 

The UK’s Brexit vote also appears not to have helped matters, essentially removing one of the US’ closest allies and supporters from the talks.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-08-29

[Class C]

It seems the absurdity exposed in Luke Flanagan's video may be gaining some traction.

 

MEP Luke Flanagan ‏visits the TTIP reading room

[ksamuiguy]

Great news!

[Rancid]

Good news, but wouldn't write off the corporate sponsored deal yet, they usually get what they want through their bought politicians.

[maximillian]

Great news, I say as a German.

But then again, it comes from Sigmar Gabriel, a man without a backbone.

Merkel and all of her ministers are vasalls of the US and big businesses.

CETA and TTIP must be avoided.

[Michael8511]

The new president to be is not a big fan of any trade agreements and like everything to be made in us, just wonder what will happen with Boeing when most of the aircrafts parts are built overseas in Europe and Asia. I think the big contract from ANA was built upon Boeing using Japanese parts for the 787. If trump wins and add on huge taxes for overseas parts the 787 and 737 will be expensive.

[cooked]

3 hours ago, Class C said:

It seems the absurdity exposed in Luke Flanagan's video may be gaining some traction.

 

MEP Luke Flanagan ‏visits the TTIP reading room

Thanks for the link. The UK didn't know what it was voting for in 1974 when it agreed to what was then called the common market and it looks as though this would have been passed through without even lying about the content as no one would have let us know anything about what was going on. Brexit had to happen, let's get on with it.

 

[KhunBENQ]

Burry this over the law insanity as soon as possible.

 

[MobileContent]

Gabriel for me is a rubbish men. Their was a time where I had deep respect for the SPD political party but the Will Brand, Herbert Wehner and Helmut Schmidt times are long gone and for me the SPD has become irrelevant. 

 

Lets look at the election coming weekend in Germany.

 

According to local polls in Germany:

2011 Results 

SPD: 35.6%

CDU: 23%
Linke (Left): 18.4%

Greens: 8.7%
NPD: 6%%
 

2016 (Polling)

SPD: 28%

CDU: 22%
AFD: 21%

Linke (Left): 13%

Greens: 6%

 

The biggest looser will be the SPD of Gabriel but also the Linke and the Green parties.

 

The biggest winner will however be the AFD and I suspect the AFD might overtake the CDU and even get near to the SPD. Polling companies are often linked to political parties in Germany and I wouldn't be surprised if AFD might overtake the SPD and becomes the strongest party in Mecklenburg. What an earthquake would come to Germany if the AFD removes the SPD from power and will have the first chance to form the next government. 

[Humphrey Bear]

The AFD are the Euro-sceptic party, are they not?

[Fritzz]

Yes they are the Eurosceptic party.

Had they been there 2 years earlier, the EU would have experienced a GEXIT instead of the BREXIT, I suppose.

[Naam]

1 hour ago, MobileContent said:

What an earthquake would come to Germany if the AFD removes the SPD from power and will have the first chance to form the next government. 

 

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a politically insignificant state of the Federal Republic (2% of Germany's voters). therefore election results can't be used to extrapolate results of next year's general election.

[Naam]

16 minutes ago, Humphrey Bear said:

The AFD are the Euro-sceptic party, are they not?

 

euro-sceptic, anti-foreign, ultra right wing.

[MobileContent]

9 minutes ago, Naam said:

 

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a politically insignificant state of the Federal Republic (2% of Germany's voters). therefore election results can't be used to extrapolate results of next year's general election.

 

On the polls for next year election they are already on Number 3 with around 12-14% beating the left and green parties.

 

MV might be a small state but the AFD did very well in the local local election in Baden-Württemberg beating the SPD and becoming the 3rd largest party and as well in some Eastern German states.

[elgordo38]

6 hours ago, Class C said:

It seems the absurdity exposed in Luke Flanagan's video may be gaining some traction.

 

MEP Luke Flanagan ‏visits the TTIP reading room

What a great video. I loved the email ending where he received an email showering praise on themselves for such an open sharing of secret information. All these trade deals are a sham and as such are falling apart. The TPP is going the same route.  Workers always loose big business wins big time. Its to late to undo the damage done by NAFTA. There are still workers sitting on the sidelines because of this disaster. The US cannot enforce any of the agreed to clauses. Workers rights, human rights, pollution controls all mean nothing to these 3rd world countries as does human life. 

Edited August 29, 2016 by elgordo38

[Calach]

We already have very low or non existent custom duties between the 2 continents, this treaty would have benefited mostly giant corporations with the harmonization of norms, with a big risk of having some factories for both productions (EU & US) consolidated on either continent, most likely US, shut down on the other. 

 

US already impose their commercial laws everywhere in the world and use it as a strategic weapon, even against their own allies (BNP-Paribas, Alsthom, Ericsson have been or are experiencing that). The main advantadge of EU is to be the first economical power and so able to impose its norms and business practices to the entire world,and perhaps eventually mitigate US abuses or at least fight with the same weapons. If we had signed that treaty we would have tied our hands and renounced to that power. Then EU would have had no interest left at all for European countries. 

[Fritzz]

2 hours ago, Naam said:

 

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a politically insignificant state of the Federal Republic (2% of Germany's voters). therefore election results can't be used to extrapolate results of next year's general election.

 

As insignificant as UKIP was 6 months ago. You ignore the undertow at your peril.

[sgtsabai]

Do not write it off. These secret corporate coups are all like TPP, zombies that arise from seems to be certain political death. Remember fast track got shoved through our so-call Congress. Once Obama and Clinton get TPP past the semi-honest politicians, make that forced down theirs and the American peoples throat, they, or rather Clinton will began work on the other (not) trade agreements.

[Rod Gold]

The world in general has become wary of any US proposal, trade agreement or assistance.  The US has a reputation of running amuck in countries who let them have free access to their politicians and infrastructure. 

[Naam]

2 hours ago, Fritzz said:

 

As insignificant as UKIP was 6 months ago. You ignore the undertow at your peril.

UKIP = failure (no Brexit),

my peril = personally couldn't care less.

[dunroaming]

We all talk about the effects of brexit on the UK but let's not underestimate it's effect on the EU.  It was always my belief that brexit could trigger the possible collapse of the EU in it's current form which is why I took a long time before eventually voting remain.  If indeed the EU does have to re-construct itself then the brexit vote was the right one.  However where would that leave the UK, in or out of the newly formed euro club?  Some time to go before we see the true price of brexit, both for Britain and the rest of the EU.

 

The USA has got it's own ecomomic problems at the moment and their grip on the world economy is loosening considerably now.