12th round of EU-US trade talks to focus on regulatory cooperation

From 22 to 26 February, the 12th round of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the EU and the US will take place in Brussels. This round marks the beginning of an intensified period in these talks. The negotiators will discuss all three pillars of TTIP: market access for EU and US firms, regulatory cooperation, and rules of trade. Regulatory cooperation will be at forefront of the discussions as both sides are preparing to exchange new textual proposals and intensify talks on the nine industry sectors which were identified before the start of TTIP. The European Commission invited all the interested stakeholders ranging from NGOs, employers, trade unions, environmental and consumer groups for public consultations at the Management Centre Europe (MCE) on Wednesday 24 February, to ensure that a plurality of interests is taken into account. Accredited journalists have the possibility to attend the presentations of participants. The EU and US chief negotiators will hold a closing press conference on Friday 26 February at 14:30 in the European Commission’s press room which can be followed live via EbS