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<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">“… the U.S. presidential election and the UK potentially leaving the EU could derail the [TTIP] …”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt;line-height:12.6pt;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#CC0000">Daily News<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;line-height:19.5pt;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:16.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Keating: Administration Aiming To Keep Spotlight On TPP, Not TTIP<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">March 27, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">A leader of the congressional caucus for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership said this week that the Obama administration
is not focused on selling the TTIP deal publicly at this time because it wants to maintain the spotlight on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and signaled that he believes a TTIP deal could be reached this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">"I don't think [the administration] is doing as much talking on TTIP," Rep. William Keating (D-MA), co-chair of the TTIP caucus,
said in a March 21 interview with <i><span style="border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Inside U.S. Trade</span></i>. "The 12 [negotiating rounds] so far, they're doing this procedurally, I think they just don't want to take attention away from TPP and
they feel the more they talk about this people may interpret this as they're shifting gears and they don't want to do that."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">"I'm disappointed that TPP is up front but the administration had no choice frankly; TTIP was fairly down the road to begin with,"
said Keating, who has historically opposed free trade agreements and voted against fast track in 2015. He spoke after making remarks at a reception hosted by the British embassy and the British-American Business Council.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Keating's sentiment was echoed by UK Member of Parliament Andrew Percy, who led a delegation of seven British MPs to the U.S.
this week on a fact-finding trip to enable them to better sell TTIP at home. The MPs are members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on TTIP.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">"A lot of the discussion we've had has been around the TPP issue here," Percy said in an interview on the sidelines of the reception.
"It seems to be taking up a lot more American -- it's certainly much more deeply penetrating the American consciousness then the TTIP, which is a positive for TTIP as far as I'm concerned."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Both Keating and Percy were upbeat on the prospects for concluding TTIP in 2016, arguing that it is possible to overcome the contentious
issues that have slowed the talks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Keating told <i><span style="border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Inside U.S. Trade </span></i>that he believed working through
tariff offers would be relatively easy due to the fact that the EU is currently the United States' largest trading partner, but argued that harmonizing regulations would be more of a challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">"They're also our biggest trading partner already and the tariff part should be reasonably easy. The standardization [of regulations]
should be more difficult but also holds the most promise, and we can do that," he said "The overwhelming benefit of this is such that I think it's almost inevitable."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Percy repeatedly emphasized that he picked up positive signals about the negotiations from both sides during his trip and that
the U.S. and EU are "confident [TTIP] can be concluded in a relatively reasonable period of time."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">But he conceded that the U.S. presidential election and the UK potentially leaving the EU could derail the deal. When pressed
on whether specific negotiating areas that so far have been contentious -- such as geographical indications, agriculture market access and government procurement -- could prevent the deal from being concluded he generally recognized that those areas were challenging
and that more negotiating is required, but said "the issues are not insurmountable."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Although he stressed that he does not know what the U.S. has offered on government procurement, Percy said a potential move by
the U.S. to lower the monetary thresholds above which EU suppliers get the same treatment as U.S. companies would be important. Informed sources have said the U.S. procurement offer in TTIP would lower the thresholds for central government entities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">The seven-member UK delegation met with officials from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
trade unions and "a range of stakeholders," according to Percy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Keating said he was confident that, if concluded, a TTIP deal would ultimately pass Congress for three reasons. First, he said
the lack of attention being given to the U.S.-EU agreement compared to the controversy surrounding TPP will aid efforts to get TTIP through Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Second, he said the public criticism of TPP in the presidential campaign is causing some members of Congress to shy away from
staking out a position on trade issues, but that TTIP is not drawing similar denouncements because it remedies issues raised by TPP critics.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">This is because the U.S. and EU have similar baselines when it comes to issues such as labor rights, environmental protection
and intellectual property rights but getting some TPP members to meet the TPP standards touted by the U.S. on those issues is considered by free trade skeptics as an uphill battle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">Third, Keating argued that the strategic value of the agreement -- both in regards to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine
and the need for the U.S. and EU to lead in setting global trade rules in order to prevent others who do not share U.S. and EU values from doing so -- would convince free-trade opponents to support the deal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">"If you look at the EU as a whole, this could be such a stabilizing force, and I've had members who are more Tea Party oriented
who are really reluctant towards free trade, but you know what has brought them over? The security factors. When you look at Ukraine, when you look at what's going on in Europe, the threats that are there, our strength is in our economy. So we've even brought
people who wouldn't be free trade people forward because of the security issues as well," Keating said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:12.6pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black">In his public remarks at the reception, Keating argued that TTIP would be essential in setting labor and environmental standards
in trade agreements going forward and if the U.S and EU failed to conclude the deal, other countries with lower standards would fill the void.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Bell MT","serif"">Michael F. Dolan, J.D.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bell MT","serif"">Legislative Representative<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bell MT","serif"">International Brotherhood of Teamsters<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bell MT","serif"">Desk 202.624.6891<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bell MT","serif"">Fax 202.624.8973<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bell MT","serif"">Cell 202.437.2254<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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