Ref. Ares(2016)4826807 - 29/08/2016
Ref. Ares(2018)158753 - 10/01/2018
Brussels,
Dear Ambassador Paemen,
Dear Ambassador Eizenstat,
Dear Mr. Gonzẚlez-Pẚramo,
Thank you very much for your letter of 10th June 2016, in which you express your support for
the negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and highlight
the importance of concluding a high-standard TTIP agreement.
Let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for your continued and outspoken support.
Encouragement and backing from those affected – like yourselves – is essential to making
sure we can deliver on the benefits of the agreement. I look forward to receiving further
recommendations from your side prior to the next formal round of negotiations and to talk
them through with you in person. I suggest you liaise with my cabinet members about the
details.
I realise that a conclusion of the talks is particularly important to the Transatlantic business
community, and I fully agree on the need to maintain momentum. I would like to assure you
that the Commission remains fully committed to the negotiations and will put all of its weight
behind the effort to finalise an ambitious and balanced TTIP, if possible, still this year. As you
know, there has been a steep increase in the frequency of negotiation rounds, intersessionals
as well as meetings with our US counterparts at the political level since the beginning of the
year. I share your view that obtaining a comprehensive and ambitious agreement is a shared
mission with mutual benefits and my teams are working very hard towards that goal.
However, as I have said many times, we cannot sacrifice substance for speed. The EU and US
both stand to gain very significantly from a TTIP agreement – but only if it meets our
respective key objectives. As Commissioner for Trade I intend to negotiate a deal that lives up
to the level of ambition with which we embarked upon the talks about three years ago.
Anything less would neither meet the requirements of the Council's negotiating directives, nor
be passed by the European Parliament.
I am confident that the US and EU will be able to develop the appropriate compromises to
move these negotiations to a swift conclusion. I look forward to discussing in further detail
with you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Cecilia Malmström
Ambassador Hugo Paemen
TABC Europe Board Chair
@hoganlovells.com
Art 4.1. b
Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat
TABC U.S. Board &TABD Chair
Art 4.1. b
@bbva.com
José Manuel Gonzẚlez-Pẚramo
TABD Europe Chair
@bbva.com
Art 4.1. b