Free trade agreement with USA
Habeck brakes Lindner
03/21/2022 11:54 am
In 2016, the European-American free trade agreement TTIP was put on hold. Finance Minister Lindner’s demand to start a new attempt is rejected by Economics Minister Habeck. A better and more successful instrument has already been found in the Trade and Technology Council.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck has rejected Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s proposal to try again for a free trade agreement with the USA. This is neither what the Americans expect nor will it lead to anything in the short term, Habeck said on the sidelines of a visit to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
Habeck pointed out that during a recent visit to Washington he also spoke to the US Secretary of Commerce – there is a better, simpler and more successful element, namely the Trade and Technology Council. “We should expand that, i.e. interaction in trading and in technical regulation. And that’s what we need. But we’ve been there for a long time.” The transatlantic partnership, which is emerging with renewed vigour, has found its instrument. “Using, protecting and expanding this instrument is the order of the day. And that’s exactly what the Americans expect,” said Habeck. “We should not now engage in an ideological debate that blocks the way for the cooperative understanding we are building.”
Mass protests against TTIP
Lindner had called for a new attempt at a free trade agreement with the USA in the “Handelsblatt”. Referring to Russia’s attack, he told the newspaper: “Especially now, the crisis shows how important free trade is with partners in the world who share our values. We should learn from the experiences of the TTIP talks. “
The European-American free trade agreement TTIP (“Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership”) was put on hold in 2016. In Europe in particular, there were massive protests against it, partly because environmental and consumer advocates feared that high EU standards could be watered down.