EU believes free trade deal with U.S.
won't be completed this year: source
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[October 19, 2016]
BERLIN
(Reuters) - The European Commission believes it is unlikely that
negotiations with the United States over a free trade deal will be
completed under the current U.S. administration, a Commission source
told Reuters on the condition of anonymity on Wednesday. |
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A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads, "No TTIP", in Brussels,
Belgium, July 27, 2015. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir |
It wants to
preserve the interim status reached in negotiations between the
European Union and the U.S. on the Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership (TTIP), the source added.
This would allow the Commission to continue negotiating with the
next U.S. administration after President Barack Obama's term
expires in January.
The source said there has been some progress on some issues,
which the Commission wants to preserve, instead of starting from
scratch with a new U.S. administration.
The U.S ambassador to Germany, John B. Emerson, told a German
broadcaster on Tuesday that the two sides were close to bridging
differences on many sticking points and that Obama would make a
final push for a deal after the U.S. election on Nov. 8.
(This version of the story clarifies the lede to show the
reference was to negotiations with current White House)
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by
Caroline Copley)
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