Andrew recently led a cross-party delegation of Labour, Conservative and minor party MPs and Peers to Washington to discuss the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated between the EU and the US. The two day mission included meetings with the British Ambassador, EU mission, US trade negotiators, US Trade Unions, business groups, the Department of Commerce, US agricultural representatives and more.
If signed TTIP would remove trade barriers and tariffs between the US, UK and EU and set international standards for future trade deals. Small and medium sized businesses, which presently face significant challenges due to trade barriers, stand to benefit the most from this deal.
Andrew explains, “There is a lot of misrepresentation about this trade deal on both sides of the Atlantic. Many people do not understand the value of such a deal to our area and to our country. That said, our delegation met with groups and individuals in the US who have a range of views on TTIP.
The deal is someway off being finalized and there is plenty yet to be determined. One important issue that still needs some thought and agreement is the dispute mechanism that will form part of this trade deal.
There is another really important element to this deal which is what it says to the rest of the international community. If the EU and the USA can't strike a deal and set an international standard on how these sorts of trade deals are concluded, then it will be left to other countries, probably with lower employment and safety standards than the US or EU, to write the rules. That isn't in the interests of anyone in the US, UK or EU.”
Photo - Andrew speaking at a reception on Capitol Hill with the U.K. Ambassador, Members of the United States Congress and British businesses.
