Euractive.com — The Greek government is ready to veto the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the US and the EU unless it ensures increased protection for key agricultural geographical indicators claims a EurActive exclusive report published Friday.
According to a document from the Greek Ministry of Economy, seen by EurActiv.com, Athens is not optimistic about the pact’s future due to the American rigid stance, even though the country is working towards a mutually accepted solution.
“There is no evidence that it is possible to proceed with the agreement, as the US is not willing to engage in concessions which are necessary to close the negotiations in areas such as public procurement and shipping services,” the document reads.
Greece is particularly concerned about the impact of TTIP on agriculture and specifically, on geographical indications such as Feta cheese.
The ‘hot potato’ for Athens
In a recent interview with EurActiv, United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack admitted that geographical indications were ‘not an easy issue’ in TTIP.
Tom Vilsack said that Washington “respects” Europe’s claim for geographic protection of food in the transatlantic trade talks. But he said this should not prevent similar US products from being marketed under brands used on the American market
The Greek side will not accept an agreement which will not ensure increased protection of geographical indications.“This is not an easy issue. It’s an issue that is going to require a lot of work, and some very creative thinking to be able to navigate this thicket where you want to protect value, but you don’t want to do it at the expense of products that have been marketed under that name for a considerable period of time,” Vilsack told EurActiv.
“We have urged the European Commission not to let this quite sensitive issue for the Greek interests on the final stage of negotiations, where there will be no flexibility,” it says, adding that Greece will not accept an agreement in which leading agricultural products will qualify as ‘generic’ and thus not be adequately protected.
According to the Greek Ministry of Economy, high-quality agricultural products create value for local communities, supporting rural development and the promotion of new employment opportunities in manufacturing, processing and other related services.
“Trade liberalisation cannot be at the expense of agricultural production or protection of the environment and the consumer, nor putting corporate interests over those of the citizens.”
Transparency questions
The Greek ministry also reiterated its position regarding the transparency of the negotiations.
“The negotiation process itself does not give the necessary flexibility to member states to formulate their positions. Member states are informed of the progress of negotiations by the Commission and do not have direct access to consolidated texts of trading only in special reading rooms, where the access rules are particularly strict,” the paper reads, adding that Athens is against a ‘fast-track’ agreement.
“However the negotiations should be made with the utmost transparency and adequate consultation in order to avoid misunderstandings and thus be able to promptly deal with any difficult and problematic points of the agreement under discussion,” he stressed.
Contacted by EurActiv, the press office director for the right-wing main opposition New Democracy party, Makarios Lazaridis, said that TTIP could contribute to economic growth and competitiveness but also emphasised the transparency issue.
