EU, U.S. Launch 2nd Round Trade Talks Despite Spying Row

[Purveyor]

BRUSSELS, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- A second round of negotiations aimed at removing trade barriers between the European Union and the United States in a wide range of areas was launched Monday.

DOMINATED BY DATA PROTECTION

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks come at a time when the United States is under fire over revelations the National Security Agency and other U.S. intelligence agencies monitored European leaders' emails and phone calls. Data protection is expected to be discussed during the talks.

Regarding the outlook for the talks, Marietje Schaake, a Member of the European Parliament, said in a report the ongoing revelations about the NSA and PRISM programs, the spying on European government leaders, and the interception of data from U.S. data companies were dominating the TTIP debate.

Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission and EU justice commissioner, said last week, "Recent developments concerning intelligence issues ... have unfortunately shaken and damaged our relationship."

"Restoring such trust will be very much needed if we want to successfully conclude the TTIP negotiations in the foreseeable future. Otherwise, the European Parliament may decide to reject the TTIP," she warned.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-11/11/c_132879253.htm

[djean111]

1. Of course! Nothing will get in the way of "trade" agreements!

[BelgianMadCow]

2. Just went to try & find out where exactly it's being held

Location is undisclosed as of now. There's a "stakeholder" session on friday, but registration is closed, dammit.
I'm calling some parties & unions in the coming days to hear if they will be there, and to (gently) scream bloody murder if they aren't aware.

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=983

The teams of negotiators from either side of the Atlantic are expected to discuss services, investment, energy and raw materials, and regulatory issues. The negotiations' session on public procurement had taken place before the shutdown.

The talks in Brussels will be followed by a third round of negotiations to be held in Washington DC the week of the 16th December.

Information for stakeholders

The European Commission will organise a briefing session for stakeholders during the second round of the negotiations on Friday 15 November. Non-governmental organisations, consumer groups, trade unions, professional organisations, business and other civil society organisations will have the opportunity to exchange views with chief negotiators of both sides. More information on registration.

Information for media

On Friday 15 November, at 3.30pm, the chief negotiators Ignacio Garcia Bercero and Dan Mullaney will brief the media on the record in a press conference. The press conference will be broadcast on Europe by satellite (EbS) for broadcasters and can be followed live via a web stream.