Germany cautions EU over US spying
Iran Press TV
Mon Jul 8, 2013 5:9AM GMT
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Europe should push ahead with free-trade negotiations with the United States while it must not forget concerns about the US secret surveillance on Europe.
The remarks came ahead of the new round of talks to begin on Monday in Washington aimed at creating the world’s largest free-trade zone between the European Union and the United States.
“We must press ahead with this in a determined way, without sweeping the other issue under the carpet,” said Merkel.
Her decision came despite demands from German opposition to halt the free-trade negotiations until Washington provides answers over its spying operations revealed by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden.
The European Commission said on July 4 that the 28-member bloc had agreed that trade talks could start as planned on Monday.
However, Brussels warned that it would put an end to its data-sharing deals with the US - the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) and Passenger Name Records (PNR) - if Washington fails to reveal the extent of its electronic spying operations in Europe.
The negotiations on EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) began on June 17. If a deal is made it would create the world’s largest Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The European Union says an FTA would add some 119 billion euros every year to the EU economy, and 95 billion euros to the US economy.
CAH/HSN
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
