Thousands Protest in Germany Against EU-US Trade Talks
- 9 years ago
Hundreds of thousands of people rallied Saturday in the German capital against the massive free-trade accord being negotiated by the European Union and the United States.
Germany's government has pushed the deal, saying it will boost the global economy and give small and midsized companies a better chance at competing on the world market while reducing bureaucracy.
Opponents have been critical of what they perceive as opaque negotiations carried out away from public scrutiny, and they fear that the pact will hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.
The European Union and United States have been negotiating since 2013 on TTIP, and supporters hope it will gain momentum now that the U.S., Japan and other Pacific Rim nations have reached an agreement on a separate trade deal.
Germany's government has pushed the deal, saying it will boost the global economy and give small and midsized companies a better chance at competing on the world market while reducing bureaucracy.
Opponents have been critical of what they perceive as opaque negotiations carried out away from public scrutiny, and they fear that the pact will hand too much power to big multinationals at the expense of consumers and workers.
The European Union and United States have been negotiating since 2013 on TTIP, and supporters hope it will gain momentum now that the U.S., Japan and other Pacific Rim nations have reached an agreement on a separate trade deal.