At a public hearing held with at the European Parliament on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks on March 17, 2014 chief negotiator Garcia Bercero assured that the EU will not agree on mutual recognition of chemical safety laws with the US. According to an article published on the news network Bloomberg BNA, he stated that while the EU and the US seek common ground in other regulatory areas, chemical laws will not be part of the agreement. According to Bercero, the EU’s chemical regulatory framework REACH is superior to the US chemical laws in ensuring chemical safety. The argument reflected earlier statements heard at the stakeholder conference which took place on March 12, 2014. Stakeholders had argued that mutual recognition of chemical regulation would erode European chemical safety. Stakeholders also criticized the lack of transparency regarding the negotiations. Vital Moreira, MEP and chairman of the Committee for International Trade responded in the Bloomberg article that the European Parliament had better access to the current than to any previous trade negotiations. The trade negotiations are led by a negotiation team from the European Commission, which holds a negation mandate granted by the European Member States. The negotiation team has the obligation to duly inform the European Parliament.

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Joe Kirwin (March 18, 2014). “EU Chief Negotiator Rules Out Mutual Recognition for U.S. Chemical Exports.” Bloomberg BNA.

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