Toxic Partnership Revealed

The policy brief analyzes a leaked 'chemicals annex' of the TTIP, asserting that the proposed regulatory cooperation framework would allow the chemical industry to delay the implementation of health-protective laws. It highlights a stark divide between the EU's proactive chemical regulations and the US's outdated legislation, warning that TTIP could erase these protections through harmonization and mutual recognition. The document outlines six primary concerns shared by over 110 civil society organizations, including the potential to block sub-federal regulatory action in US states and EU Member States, limit public access to toxic chemical information, and derail EU leadership on emerging issues like endocrine disruptors and nanomaterials.

• A leaked 'chemicals annex' from the European Commission indicates that TTIP negotiations are aligned with the chemical industry's goal to minimize regulatory differences between the US and the EU.
• Over 110 public health and environmental organizations argue that TTIP could freeze the development of stronger health laws by creating procedural hurdles and requiring time-consuming analyses of costs to transatlantic trade rather than societal benefits.
• The document asserts that TTIP could undermine the EU's global leadership in managing emerging risks, specifically regarding nanomaterials and endocrine (hormone) disrupting chemicals, which the US Trade Representative (USTR) views as 'trade barriers'.
• TTIP proposals may prevent US states and EU Member States from enacting stricter chemical protections, effectively preempting sub-federal regulatory innovation in the face of federal or Commission inaction.
• Industry proposals within TTIP to strengthen standards for confidential business information (CBI) and data protection could restrict public, regulator, and worker access to information on toxic chemicals.
• The application of harmonization or mutual recognition could result in a 'lowest-common denominator approach' that erases the higher protections provided by EU law, such as minimum health and safety data requirements.
• The document claims that much of the proposed TTIP work on chemicals is redundant, as similar efforts have already been attempted through the OECD or existing agreements between the US EPA and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2014). Toxic Partnership Revealed. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_Leaked_29Sep2014.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Toxic Partnership Revealed. 2014. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_Leaked_29Sep2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Toxic Partnership Revealed |date=September 2014 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_Leaked_29Sep2014.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2014toxic, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Toxic Partnership Revealed}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2014}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TTIP_Leaked_29Sep2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }