TTIP: Are US-Europe trade talks tanking?

Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel signaled on 28 August 2016 that trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union had failed, regarding the completion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Two days later, France's trade minister Matthias Fekl also said that the country wanted negotiations to come to an end. France blamed lack of progress on US intransigence.

The European Union's chief trade negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero was quick to downplay these calls and to guarantee that negotiations were still active and running.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed on the 1 September 2016 her continued support for an EU-US trade agreement being negotiated.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel suggested on the 3 September 2016 that the TTIP negotiations might have to be abandoned for now. This followed an announcement by US company Caterpillar that it might lay off about 2,000 employees at a plant in Wallonia, Belgium as part of a major restructuring.

• Primary Source

ESO: Key Source: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) http://www.europeansources.info/record/transatlantic-trade-and-investment-partnership-ttip/

The Guardian, 30.08.16: France demands an end to TTIP talks https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/30/france-demands-end-to-ttip-trade-talks-matthias-fekl

The Guardian, 29.08.16: EU trade negotiator talks down TTIP failure report https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/29/eu-trade-negotiator-talks-down-ttip-failure-report-sigmar-gabriel

The Independent, 28.08.16: TTIP's 'failure' gives us a clue about Britain's post-Brexit trading future http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/ttip-failure-brexit-economy-gives-us-a-clue-about-britains-post-brexit-trading-future-a7214476.html

Politico, 30.08.16: French minister calls for halt to TTIP talks http://www.politico.eu/article/french-minister-calls-for-halt-to-ttip-talks-matthias-fekl-europe-us-trade-agreement/

Deutsche Welle, 29.08.16: EU rebuffs German minister Gabriel over TTIP comments http://dw.com/p/1Jrv8

Deutsche Welle, 29.08.16: [Opinion] Good-bye TTIP! But what now? http://dw.com/p/1Jrpj

Euronews, 28.08.16: 'TTIP has failed', Germany's Vice-Chancellor says http://www.euronews.com/2016/08/28/ttip-has-failed-germany-s-vice-chancellor-says

Deutsche Welle, 28.08.16: Germany's Vice Chancellor Gabriel: US-EU trade talks 'have failed' http://dw.com/p/1JrHl

The Wall Street Journal, 28.08.16: German Vice Chancellor Warns on Trans-Atlantic Trade Talks http://www.wsj.com/articles/german-vice-chancellor-warns-on-trans-atlantic-trade-talks-1472399399

EUObserver, 29.08.16: EU-US trade deal not quite dead https://euobserver.com/economic/134791

EUObserver, 29.08.16: EU-US trade talks have failed, says Germany’s Gabriel https://euobserver.com/economic/134783

EUObserver, 30.08.16: France wants EU-US trade talks stopped https://euobserver.com/economic/134801

Politico, 30.08.16: Bitter German Socialist autumn threatens EU trade policy http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-trade-policy-feels-the-chill-of-german-autumn/

EurActiv, 29.08.16: Germany says TTIP dead in the water http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/germany-says-ttip-dead-in-the-water/

EurActiv, 30.08.16: France demands end to TTIP talks http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/paris-to-demand-an-end-to-opaque-ttip-negotiations/

EurActiv, 31.08.16: Francois Hollande buries hope of concluding TTIP this year http://www.euractiv.com/section/all/news/hollande-burries-any-hope-of-ttip-conclusion-this-year/

EUObserver, 30.08.16: EU and US continue trade talks despite French criticism https://euobserver.com/news/134810

Euro|Topics: Debates, August / September 2016: Is the TTIP on the verge of collapse? http://www.eurotopics.net/en/165128/is-the-ttip-on-the-verge-of-collapse

EurActiv, 31.08.16: Austrian economy minister adds his ‘nein’ to TTIP debate http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/austrian-economy-minister-adds-his-nein-to-ttip-debate/

EurActiv, 02.09.16: Germany and France divided over TTIP http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/germany-france-divided-over-ttip/

The Local.de, 01.09.16: Merkel won't give up on 'dead' US trade deal http://www.thelocal.de/20160901/merkel-says-eu-us-trade-deal-not-dead

EurActiv, 05.09.16: Belgium says TTIP talks seem unbalanced, may need pause http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/belgium-says-ttip-talks-seem-unbalanced-may-need-pause/

EurActiv, 05.09.16: Moscovici: It is ‘not appropriate’ to suspend TTIP talks http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/moscovici-it-is-not-appropriate-to-suspend-ttip-talks/

EurActiv, 09.09.16: Merkel: ‘let’s keep negotiating TTIP’ http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/merkel-lets-keep-negotiating-ttip/

Deutsche Welle, 09.09.16: Merkel speaks out in favor of keeping TTIP negotiations going http://dw.com/p/1Jylz

Social Europe, 12.09.16: Setting A New Agenda For Fair World Trade https://www.socialeurope.eu/2016/09/setting-a-new-agenda-for-fair-world-trade/

Politico, 16.09.16: Anti-trade campaigners slaughter their golden goose: TTIP http://www.politico.eu/article/anti-trade-campaigners-slaughter-their-golden-goose-ttip-why-ngos-germany/

EurActiv, 20.09.16: France tells EU to get tough on TTIP http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/france-tells-eu-to-get-tough-on-ttip/

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