TiSA talks going nowhere fast
Politico | 28 July 2016
TiSA talks going nowhere fast
By Adam Behsudi
Countries negotiating the Trade in Services Agreement updated a work plan that includes “possible conclusion” of talks by the end of the year. But a readout from the European Commission on this month’s negotiations indicates that parties are still considering a number of new proposals and avoiding discussions on some important subjects.
At the July 8-18 round of talks, the EU submitted papers informally proposing a dispute settlement mechanism similar to that of the WTO, albeit with no appeals process mentioned. The EU said it submitted another new paper on how the agreement would be administered and how members’ market access schedules could be modified in the future.
A new proposal tabled by the U.S. on financial services data storage “will require extensive consultations,” the EU said. The proposal is a response to private-sector outrage over the exclusion of financial data from a prohibition on data flow barriers in the TPP. The parties held no discussions on data privacy and data flows, in general. And a new proposal to establish rules on liability for internet platforms in the context of e-commerce will also require extensive consultations, the EU said.
