TACD makes the consumer voice heard

TACD has presented its concerns about regulatory convergence to the negotiators of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

The presentation was made by Rob Weissman at a Public Forum organised by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as part of the fifth round of TTIP negotiations which took place from 19 to 23 May in Arlington Virginia.

Regulatory convergence: a flawed approach

Mr Weissman outlined seven key consumer concerns about this chapter of the trade agreement, ranging from the proposed approach to cost benefit analyses and impact assessments, to plans for new implementing institutions such as a Regulatory Co-operation Council.

In doing so, he also provided a substantive critique of both current U.S. regulatory processes and the EU’s position paper on cross-cutting disciplines and institutional provisions.

See the presentation for the full list of concerns raised.

Rob Weissman is President of Public Citizen and sits on the TACD Steering Committee.

A hot topic in the TTIP debate

Regulatory convergence is a major cross-cutting aspect of the TTIP and is an area of concern in general of civil society advocates.

It is also one of the key topics that will be discussed at the TACD Public Forum, “The TTIP One Year on: Consumers Mean Business”, which will take place in Washington D.C. on Tuesday 24th June 2014.

To know more about the consumer position on this issue, see TACD’s policy resolution on regulatory coherence in the TTIP.