891 NEEDED
A trade
between the United States and the European Union could weaken government
health, environmental and food safety regulations.
The
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will extend beyond the
removal of tariffs, to include the opening of markets on investment, services
and public procurement. But it appears that the US has attempted to weaken
European standards that prevent potentially dangerous products from being
marketed when their effect is not yet known. Weakening food standards is very
dangerous and could result in contaminated products that are being sold in
grocery stores and restaurants.
That worries
consumer groups such as Public Citizen, which says the United States and the EU
have different regulations because the concerns of their citizens are not the
same. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could weaken
European and UK regulation in areas including genetically modified crops,
chemicals in cosmetics and meat treated with growth hormones, as a result of
efforts to align standards between the US, where rules are laxer, and the
EU. For example, EU consumers have
voiced stronger objections to genetically modified food than their U.S.
counterparts.
Since
tariffs between the US and the EU are relatively low, the most difficult part
of the upcoming talks will be to reduce regulatory and other
"behind-the-border" barriers that impede trade in sectors ranging
from agriculture to chemicals, autos and finance.
The
Governments maintains it would give a huge boost to business, creating jobs,
cutting red tape and opening up new markets. In addition, it will focus on
aligning rules and technical product standards which currently form the most
important barrier to transatlantic trade.