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BackAt a press conference on Tuesday, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström announced a new approach in respect of transparency and openness regarding TTIP documents. The intention is to make more negotiation text available for the 751 Members of the European Parliament and their assistants. Even though the venture is late and shall according to the current state of affairs only apply to the EU-USA negotiations, this foray into transparency is to be welcomed.
Last week, the European Commission was already placed under the obligation to exercise more openness regarding meetings with senior EU officials and will publish relevant details from 1 December. Now, the trend towards more transparency is also continued by Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, who intends to set in motion extended access to documents in connection with the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP. To begin with, Malmström wants to disclose so-called “formal negotiation proposals”, which are published on the homepage of the EU Commission, after they have been received by the negotiators on behalf of the United States. This would also be accompanied by the publication of more negotiation texts, which the Commission has already made available to Member States and to Parliament. Apart from that, the list of TTIP documents shall be continuously published in cooperation with the EU Parliament and the Council.
According to Malmström, MEPs shall also be provided with better access to TTIP negotiation documents. So far, only a selected small circle of MEPs, who were involved in the trade department, had been able to view these documents. Now, all 751 MEPs (including their assistants) shall have access to the documents related to TTIP. This shall be guaranteed by creating a new reading room for those MEPs, who so far did not have the opportunity to look at the texts.
Even though the chairman of the Trade Committee of the European Parliament, Bernd Lange (S&D), appeared to be satisfied with the announcements of the Commission, he nevertheless remarked that the TTIP Transparency initiative was a little bit late.
However, the Swedish Trade Commissioner was criticised for the fact that the greater transparency she had announced, is only to apply to TTIP and not to negotiations of the EU with other countries.
Further information:
Communication to the Commission concerning transparency in TTIP negotiations
According to Malmström, MEPs shall also be provided with better access to TTIP negotiation documents. So far, only a selected small circle of MEPs, who were involved in the trade department, had been able to view these documents. Now, all 751 MEPs (including their assistants) shall have access to the documents related to TTIP. This shall be guaranteed by creating a new reading room for those MEPs, who so far did not have the opportunity to look at the texts.
Even though the chairman of the Trade Committee of the European Parliament, Bernd Lange (S&D), appeared to be satisfied with the announcements of the Commission, he nevertheless remarked that the TTIP Transparency initiative was a little bit late.
However, the Swedish Trade Commissioner was criticised for the fact that the greater transparency she had announced, is only to apply to TTIP and not to negotiations of the EU with other countries.
Further information:
Communication to the Commission concerning transparency in TTIP negotiations