Corpus of documents relating to ongoing international trade negotiations (TTIP, TiSA and CETA)

This fact sheet presents a body of documents related to the negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Agreement on Trade in Services (TISA).

• The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

On 14 June 2013, the Council of the European Union, which brings together the Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the Union, gave the European Commission a mandate to conduct negotiations with the United States with a view to reaching a transatlantic trade and investment agreement.
Several denominations refer to the Trans Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA); TTIP — Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (PTCI).
These negotiations are organised around three pillars: access to markets (agricultural and industrial goods, services, public procurement); non-tariff barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and regulatory convergence; rules (intellectual property and geographical indications, energy and raw materials, competition, rules of origin, trade facilitation, sustainable development).

• The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

On 18 October 2013 the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) concluded negotiations.
In order to promote trade between the Union and Canada, the objective of the negotiations was, inter alia, to obtain recognition of our geographical indications, to increase our agricultural exports, to lower many barriers to non-tariff trade, to facilitate cross-investment, and to obtain better protection of intellectual property.
At the request of each Party, a number of matters are not covered by the Agreement, such as audiovisual services or food health and consumer protection legislation (e.g.: GMOs, hormone meat).
The draft Agreement has been put online by the European Commission and will now be translated into the languages of the 28 Member States of the European Union before being submitted to the Council and the European Parliament and then to the national parliaments.

• The Trade in Services Agreement (TISA)

On 18 March 2013, the Council of the European Union, which brings together the ministers of the governments of the Member States, gave the European Commission a mandate to conduct negotiations on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA). These negotiations bring together 25 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including the European Union, or 52 countries that account for a total of 70 % of world trade in services. They aim at opening up markets for services still closed to European companies and improving rules on transnational trade, be they thematic (temporary movement of workers, internal regulations) or sectoral (maritime transport services, air transport services, road transport services, financial services, professional services, telecommunications services, e-commerce and information and communication technology services).