Abstract

The paper examines the main facets of  the debate about TTIP and services. First, it looks at the political and economic context and the various alternatives in terms of political support, stressing  that  only  a  partnership  that  ensures  substantial  economic  gains  will  attract  the support  of  the  top  policy-makers.  Second,  the  paper  makes  the  point  that  large  economic gains  in  services  require  deep  discussions  on  regulatory  issues,  and  third,  such  discussions cannot  rely  on  the  negotiating  techniques  normally  used  for  goods.  There  is  thus  a  need  to adopt  a  new  approach,  based  on  the  mutual  recognition  and  equivalence  of  regulations enforced in the services at stake, preceded by a mutual evaluation to grant such equivalence – all measures to be carried out by the regulatory bodies concerned, not by trade negotiators. This new game is a complex one but it has huge side benefits: it induces each TTIP partner to review  the  quality  of  their  own  regulations;  it  is  at  ease  with  the  notion  of  a  ‘living’ (evolving) agreement;  and it can easily be open to third countries. All these benefits should reassure a general public that is fearful of a hastily baked deal.