On Friday, 9 September, the chairpersons of the European Affairs Committees of the parliaments of the Baltic States and Poland met in Tallinn, Estonia, where they adopted a joint statement in support of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA).

In the statement, the parliamentarians recognise the need for a comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States of America and therefore express support for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. They emphasise that only an ambitious agreement taking into account both the individual interests of every Member State and that of the European Union as a whole will help increase our international competitiveness as well as create economic growth, jobs and benefits for European consumers. 

The statement acknowledges the contribution of the European Commission in the negotiations with the United States of America and calls on the European Commission to continue a negotiation strategy that will guarantee an equal and just access to the markets of the United States of America and the European Union for businesses and individual consumers.

In the document, the chairpersons of the European Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland emphasise the geopolitical importance of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in the changed security environment with the agreement being another practical example of excellent transatlantic cooperation and a confirmation of the allied security relations of the European Union and the United States of America.

They also  point out their continuous support for the transparency policy of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations implemented by the European Commission and remind that only transparent negotiations on both sides of the Atlantic will create more understanding and support for the agreement.

Furthermore, the parliamentarians stress the importance of cooperation with national parliaments in raising public awareness about the TTIP, especially because it will be the task of national parliaments to ratify the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement. They also emphasise the crucial role that national parliaments, as bodies close to the citizens, can play in explaining the importance of the agreement to the public.

The four chairpersons also acknowledge the great public interest in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and encourage governments across the European Union to react to the concerns of the public by explaining the future impact of the agreement on the European economy.

The chairpersons of the European Affairs Committees of the parliaments of the Baltic States and Poland met today with Cecilia Malmström, the European Commissioner for Trade, to discuss the TTIP negotiations. The Commissioner thanked the chairpersons for their joint statement supporting the TTIP and confirmed that negotiations were continuing based on the mandate issued by all the member states of the EU. Commissioner Malmström also stressed that the rumours of failed negotiations are greatly exaggerated.
During the meeting, the parliamentarians of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland also discussed the Rail Baltica project, for which they also expressed unanimous support.

Saeima Press Service