01 May 2016
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"Just a few hours after the pre-announced the 248 page leak of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) documents by Greenpeace (Netherlands), Ignacio Garcia Bercero, the EU’s Chief Negotiator spoke to the Press in an attempt to change the initial impression left from the leaked documents. An EU source told New Europe that the documents are at least one month old.
Bercero told journalists that all of the EU’s positions revealed by the leaks were well known, while this was not necessarily the case for the positions of the United States of America.
Such technical briefings are rarely on the record, turning the Monday Berlaymont Press event into a political statement on behalf of the European Commission. Bercero himself coordinated the work of the EU-US High Level Working Group on Growth and Jobs, which recommended the launch of the TTIP negotiations.
The EU commented that the leaks are incomplete texts that lead to “misconceptions” and “misunderstanding”. In a blog post published on Monday morning, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström, tried to put forward that the leaked documents were not describing any kind of agreement, but each side’s (EU and US) negotiating positions."
See: EU Commission downplays TTIP leak: “nothing new” (New Europe, link)
On the other hand: TTIP leaks confirm dangers for digital rights (EDRi, link): "Today, Greenpeace has unveiled documents on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), including the telecommunications chapter and EU’s Tactical State of Play of March 2016. "The leaks show an ideological drive towards deregulation and law enforcement by private companies," said Joe McNamee, Executive Director of European Digital Rights (EDRi).
"This would sweep away key European success stories such as open and competitive telecommunications markets and a legal framework based on transparency and the rule of law," he added.
EDRi has analysed two of the leaked TTIP documents, the Telecommunications Chapter and the Tactical State of Play."
And: Fekl: TTIP negotiations very likely to halt (New Europe, link): "The US approach towards the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations will most likely lead to the halt of the talks, French junior Minister for Foreign Trade, Matthias Fekl said today in an interview with Europe 1 radio."
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