Breadcrumb

Transparency, Anticorruption and Competition

 
  • We seek to obtain improved transparency in the administration of EU and Member State trade and investment regimes, and rules that ensure trade- and investment-related measures are adopted and applied in an open and transparent manner that provides meaningful opportunities for public comment, notice, and review;
     
  • We seek to obtain appropriate commitments on anticorruption;
     
  • We seek to address matters of mutual interest regarding competition policy and process and to further improve cooperation on competition policy.

For U.S. businesses to compete in the global market, they must have clear, predictable laws and regulations that are administered by officials who are not subject to undue influence.  That is why we are seeking commitments in T-TIP to publish promptly all laws, regulations, administrative rulings and other procedures that affect trade and investment.  We will also seek opportunities for interested parties to learn about and provide meaningful input on measures before they are adopted and finalized.

Corruption distorts competition and often prevents the public from receiving the highest quality goods and services.  Accordingly, we have sought to ensure that our trade agreements include appropriate provisions to address corruption, and we will be doing so in our T-TIP negotiations.  We and the EU also agree that the sound and effective enforcement of competition law is a matter of importance to the efficient operation of our respective markets and trade between them.  Competitive markets provide the environment necessary for entrepreneurship and innovation, protects against anticompetitive behavior that distort market outcomes, and helps consumers obtain more innovative, high-quality goods and services at lower prices. 

Additional Resources:
Transparency and the Obama Trade Agenda

Stakeholder Consultations, Investment and the T-TIP