BRATISLAVA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is still being negotiated, but political statements of certain EU leaders regarding suspension of negotiations can't be ignored, said Slovak MEP Ivan Stefanec here on Thursday.
According to Stefanec, scrapping TTIP negotiations between the United States and the European Union (EU) is a matter of internal policy in France and partly in Germany. Their attitude is also influenced by the upcoming presidential election in the United States.
"(U.S.) President Barack Obama wanted to finish the negotiations during his electoral term. However, the important thing is to have a good contract, and not a contract that needs to be quickly signed in a few months," said Stefanec, referring to the U.S. presidential election set to take place in November.
"The largest trade agreement in the EU's history should be well prepared, as it's important for the EU and the world as a whole," stressed Stefanec, adding that mainly trade standards should be set well.
There have already been 14 rounds of negotiations on TTIP so far, but the EU and the U.S. representatives haven't agreed on any of its 27 chapters.
"Regarding the abolition of customs duties on goods and services, TTIP is completed on 97 percent. A great deal of progress has been reached in this matter," pointed out the Slovak MEP.
"The question of regulatory standards, which is different in the EU and the USA, as well as the issue of resolving disputes still remain open," he added.
Both points have been criticised mainly from the part of the EU, as many European companies, professional associations and NGOs are afraid of easier access of American companies to the stricter EU market.
However, Stefanec doesn't share these concerns, as the agreement will have to go through the approving procedure in the European Parliament (EP) and in national parliaments of the EU member states.
Meanwhile, an informal meeting of EU trade ministers is set to take place in Bratislava on Sept. 22-23.
French Foreign Trade Minister Matthias Fekl earlier this month said that, as he sees the current round of negotiations on TTIP as a failure, he will demand on behalf of France the suspension of negotiations at the informal meeting in Bratislava.
