By Sanjana Dubey, Office of Public and Media Affairs
This afternoon, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro addressed an audience of business leaders, Congressional and Obama Administration staff, and members of the diplomatic community at a luncheon sponsored by the Meridian International Center and several partners. At the event entitled “The U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): The Case for an Open Transatlantic Free Trade Area,” Ambassador Sapiro spoke on the significance of the proposed TTIP agreement. Her remarks followed keynote addresses from the Honorable José María Aznar, former President of Spain, and James W. Cicconi, Senior Executive Vice President for External and Legislative Affairs of AT&T Services, Inc.
Ambassador Sapiro speaks at the event entitled “The U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership (TTIP): The Case for an Open Transatlantic Free Trade Area.”
Ambassador Sapiro emphasized the ambitious negotiating agenda of the proposed TTIP talks, which includes seeking full elimination of tariffs, substantial progress on reducing regulatory and other non-tariff barriers, and disciplines that address emerging challenges for global trade, such as state-owned enterprises and localization barriers. Ambassador Sapiro stated that the timing is ripe for this agreement and suggested that there is high political will for a successful negotiation on both sides of the Atlantic. She also mentioned last month’s formal notification by the Obama Administration to Congress of its intent to launch the TTIP negotiations and invited the audience to participate in the process through the Federal Register website, accessible here. Ambassador Sapiro concluded by recognizing the immensely successful economic relationship between the United States and the EU, and stated that the proposed Partnership can strengthen the contributions of trade and investment to job creation, growth, and competitiveness in both economies.
To learn more about the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, click here.
