European Parliament to Debate Amendments to TTIP Deal With US

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The stated goal of the proposed TTIP accord between Brussels and Washington is to remove certain trade laws and allow a less-regulated flow of goods across the Atlantic. The deal has been kept under unusual secrecy during the negotiating process, stoking fears that it could hand over aspects of state economic and copyright control to international corporations.

In May 2015, the European Parliament's international trade committee (INTA) signed off on a series of draft recommendations to TTIP negotiators that listed items EU lawmakers would like to see in the US-proposed trade pact.

The recommendations now require the approval of the full European Parliament. A parliamentary vote earlier this month was postponed due to the high number of amendments.

The Trade Committee’s extraordinary meeting on Monday will decide whether the amendment package should be put to a vote by the European Parliament as a whole. The vote will be preceded by a debate in Brussels starting at 4:30 p.m. (14:30 GMT).

An amendment package vote, if successful, will enable EU lawmakers to put TTIP recommendations to a plenary vote in July or September.

The TTIP agreement seeks to establish a transatlantic free trade zone for a market of about 820 million people.

Proponents claim it will boost economic growth by removing existing trade regulations between the two regions. Opponents to the hotly-debated treaty claim the deal gives too much power to transnational corporations, making it harder for EU nations to regulate their own markets.