Regulatory cooperation on TTIP: the need to ensure high standards while cutting red tape
On 2nd July, Chief EU TTIP negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero attended an EESC conference to discuss key issues concerning regulatory cooperation on TTIP with EESC members and representatives from business groups, trade unions, and other economic and social organisations. The conference provided an opportunity for civil society to express its views and concerns, put forward its suggestions and hear the chief negotiator's clarifications and reassurances on this subject.
The objective of regulatory cooperation in TTIP is to dismantle existing regulatory barriers to trade and prevent new ones from emerging in order to increase efficiency and economic benefits.
"Our ambition is to avoid duplication and enhance efficiency; it is clearly not to lower any EU standards. Our competitiveness is based on our high standards", said EESC member Jacek Krawczyk at the outset.
"The main goal is to have greater compatibility. Any agreement has to enhance or at least to maintain the existing level of standards. The processes will be public, transparent and including all stakeholders needed - not only industry, but for instance also consumer groups when necessary," confirmed Garcia Bercero, the EU chief negotiator.
Some aspects of the current proposals were a cause for concern to some groups. Major objections to the proposed regulatory cooperation body were raised by trade unions, concerned about the negative impact on workers and working conditions, especially in terms of safety and health protection. Some participants also expressed the fear that regulatory cooperation would "interfere with national law making processes", "delay legislation", or "cause the EU to relinquish the precautionary principle". Others stressed that the "regulatory cooperation council" envisaged in the draft to tackle technical issues must be embedded in a democratic framework and that elected political representatives, not technocrats, must have the last word.
Organisations representing industry associations and Chambers of Commerce expressed a more positive opinion on the regulatory-related opportunities emerging from TTIP with benefits such as a more efficient regulatory environment, mutual recognition of standards, a common approach to impact assessments and regulation based on sound science.
The engineering industry, which accounts for a third of EU exports to the US, was concerned that the lack of harmonisation between states in the US might also be an obstacle to cooperation, while the pharmaceutical industry saw TTIP as a crucial opportunity to develop synergies and thus enhance regulator efficiency by avoiding trial duplication and cutting costs by up to 40%.
Chief negotiators assured participants that any legislation adopted following the process of regulatory cooperation would follow domestic democratic procedures.
For more information, please contact:
EESC Press Unit - Silvia Aumair
E-mail: press@eesc.europa.eu
Tel: + 32 2 546 8141 / +32 473 520 774