Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Environmental Review

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) expresses concern that TTIP's focus on reducing 'non-tariff' barriers will lead to a 'chilling effect' on environmental and health legislation. CIEL specifically warns that regulatory coherence mechanisms, such as the proposed Regulatory Cooperation Council, could prioritize trade impacts over public safety and impede the ability of U.S. states and EU member states to enact stronger standards. The document highlights a profound divergence in toxic chemical regulation, arguing that U.S. efforts to target EU laws as 'technical barriers to trade'—including those regarding endocrine disruptors and nanomaterials—threaten to lower global safety standards through harmonization or mutual recognition.

• TTIP's objective of reducing 'non-tariff' or 'technical barriers' to trade may lead to the rollback of existing protections or impede the development of new environmental and health legislation.
• The proposed 'Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC)' could create significant delays in responding to environmental and health crises by imposing burdensome coordination requirements across local, state, national, and regional governments.
• The use of trade-impact and cost-benefit analyses within TTIP may bias decision-making against the public interest by prioritizing international trade costs over health and environmental benefits.
• The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has consistently targeted stronger EU environmental laws, such as the F-Gas Regulation and the Renewable Energy Directive, as 'technical barriers to trade'.
• TTIP could undermine the EU's leadership in regulating emerging threats like endocrine disruptors and nanomaterials, as the U.S. views these protective measures as obstacles to trade.
• Mechanisms such as harmonization, mutual recognition, and equivalence risk creating a 'lowest common denominator' approach to safety, potentially allowing prohibited products into markets.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2014). Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Environmental Review. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TTIP_Comments_2Sep2014.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Environmental Review. 2014. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TTIP_Comments_2Sep2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Environmental Review |date=2 September 2014 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TTIP_Comments_2Sep2014.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2014transatlantic, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Environmental Review}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2014}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TTIP_Comments_2Sep2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }