The TTIP negotiations: A Pirandello play

This synthesis by Elvire Fabry, Giorgio Garbasso and Romain Pardo presents the main issues discussed during the experts seminar entitled “Engaging the TTIP negotiation. Lessons learned from the EU’s historical and current use use of regulatory competition”, organised by Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute in partnership with the European Policy Centre (EPC), on 27 November 2013 in Brussels.

Numerous parameters in the negotiations are still open and have yet to be clarified by the negotiators in order to choose the negotiating method most likely to allow the project to be successfully completed and to meet the approval of their mandators. Several issues are raised:

• What do these negotiations aim to achieve on both the economic and geostrategic levels?
• What are the ground rules?
• Who are the main players?
• What will be the impactof the TTIP on world trade?
• And last but not least, how should the negotiating timeframe be managed?