“T” for Toxic? Seven things everyone should know about the EU‐US trade negotiations (aka “TTIP” or “TAFTA”) and chemical regulation

This fact sheet by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is primarily a regulatory agreement that threatens to undermine public health and environmental protections regarding chemical regulation in the European Union and globally.

• TTIP is characterized as a regulatory agreement aimed at minimizing differences in regulations across regions, which the author claims could lead to a "downward" harmonization toward standards that offer less protection for the environment and people. This could hinder the phasing out of hazardous chemicals, such as PCBs, DDT, and CFCs.
• The agreement may stall environmental law-making in the European Union by introducing trade impact assessments and consultations with US regulators. The document notes that US risk assessments for a single chemical have taken over twenty years, and it suggests TTIP could bring EU progress to a similar level of "paralysis."
• TTIP could erode the regulatory authority of EU Member States by applying rules against regulatory differences at the national level, potentially preventing individual states from enacting stronger chemical protections.
• The document asserts that TTIP could stifle innovation in safer chemicals by implementing secrecy and labeling rules that restrict access to information about hazardous chemicals and their presence in products, while also slowing the creation of hazardous chemical lists that drive businesses to find substitutes.
• The inclusion of NAFTA-like investment provisions in TTIP could allow foreign investors to sue the EU for lost profits resulting from public health and environmental laws. This mechanism could specifically be used to challenge precautionary moratoria on fracking, as has occurred in Canada.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). “T” for Toxic? Seven things everyone should know about the EU‐US trade negotiations (aka “TTIP” or “TAFTA”) and chemical regulation. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_FactSheet_EU_Feb2014.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. “T” for Toxic? Seven things everyone should know about the EU‐US trade negotiations (aka “TTIP” or “TAFTA”) and chemical regulation. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_FactSheet_EU_Feb2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=“T” for Toxic? Seven things everyone should know about the EU‐US trade negotiations (aka “TTIP” or “TAFTA”) and chemical regulation |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_FactSheet_EU_Feb2014.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndtoxic, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{“T” for Toxic? Seven things everyone should know about the EU‐US trade negotiations (aka “TTIP” or “TAFTA”) and chemical regulation}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_FactSheet_EU_Feb2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }