Paris has openly expressed doubt about the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the European Union and United States. While Germany, for example, seems to believe in the treaty’s benefits being largely consistent with the country’s intention to expand into new export markets, France is strongly opposed to the EU-US free trade pact, refusing to sign the transatlantic agreement at the current stage. Citing the reasons behind the refusal to accept the TTIP deal, French President Francois Hollande spoke of a lack of mutuality and transparency, stating, in the name of the French nation, “We will never accept questioning essential principles for our agriculture, our culture and for the reciprocity of access to public [procurement] markets.”
French Minister for Foreign Trade Matthias Fekl supported the country’s leader, saying a breakdown of the negotiations was the most likely scenario. Moreover, Fekl blamed Washington for the dead-end situation, reminding US politicians that it was Europe that agreed to a number of concessions in order to reach a compromise, while the White House, in its turn, did not take a single step forward. At the same time, experts argue that the European Union would benefit more greatly from the TTIP treaty than the US. The potential economic stimulus from the TTIP would total only €90 billion for America per year, while the European economy would be boosted by as much as €120 billion. However, these figures have so far failed to convince France, and the agreement has no future without the country’s consent.
In fact, it was never the intention of Paris to mess things up either for London or Washington, as France is simply striving to achieve equal conditions for all sides involved. In his official response to the US Senate, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault illustrated his point with an example of a “good agreement”, referring to the existing treaty between Europe and Canada (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA). It implies trading under mutually beneficial terms, where the interests of each party are protected and a stable coexistence of agrarians is guaranteed. The US and EU are nowhere near mutual understanding at such a profound level yet, the official pointed out.
