Danubius International Conferences, 7th International Conference The Danube - Axis of European Identity

Regulatory cooperation under TTIP – a risk for the European democracy?

Raluca Fritzsch
Last modified: 2017-06-05

Abstract

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a proposed deal between the world’s two largest advanced industrial economies, the EU and USA. TTIP affects a broad range of issues, from energy to the environmental rules, from labor to intellectual property rights. It was thought as the answer to recession in Europe and the USA, with promises of growth, investment opportunities for big and small companies and higher employment. The central objective of the deal is to eliminate most tariffs. Trade barriers between USA and EU are already low, so the deal could vanish with minor fluctuations in exchange rates. But the real challenge is the very different approaches to regulation.  

The aim of this paper is to contribute to a critical political economy of global trade. It analyzes the potential effects that such an agreement would have on the economy, political institutions, society and the environment. This article also investigates the question how this agreement affects our democracy.