European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström defended the EU’s request Friday to shield a long list of sensitive sectors from market openings under the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership pact, saying the United States was being nearly as protective in its own way.
“We have a long list of exceptions, yes, because we are 28 countries, and all 28 countries have given to the Commission some sensitive areas,” Malmström said at a German Marshall Fund event in Brussels.
But the requests are “also very specific,” Malmström said. “The U.S. has fewer exceptions, but they are wider. … We still have more, but the difference is not as big as it can seem if just you hear the numbers.”
The United States, for example, is looking for broad protection for its maritime services sector, while the EU has 19 specific areas in that sector that it wants to keep closed, she told the group.
Meanwhile, the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, expressed doubt the two sides could reach a deal unless the United States moves closer to the EU’s position in areas like investment, public procurement, financial services and protection for regional food names.
“If by the end of the year there is not substantially more on the table than what seems to be the case now, I don’t see how the negotiations can be concluded,” Schulz said.
Hans von der Burchard contributed to this report.