Trade negotiations ‘utterly boring’, says EU diplomat

People who have taken an interest in the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the United States on the major new trade agreement known as TTIP, have no idea how boring the detail in them actually is, according to the EU's ambassador to the US.

Speaking in Dublin on Monday, David O’Sullivan said there was “huge public interest” in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks.

“I think sometimes that people feel trade negotiations are like a tennis match,” he said.

“I’ve never seen such public interest in trade negotiations and I was director general for five years.

“I sometimes find it difficult to convey how utterly boring trade negotiations are. And I think, unfortunately, those who now follow the trade negotiations are discovering just how boring they are. And they are therefore convinced that we are hiding something from them, because there must be something more exciting going on.”

Mr O'Sullivan said he had a competition ongoing in Washington "as to which sport really captures the utter tedium of trade negotiations".

Despite this, he said there was a lot to be gained from TTIP.

“It will certainly be hugely important for the reduction of tariffs and the opening up of the services industry which is very important. But it will also, very importantly, be dealing with regulatory issues.”

Citing the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries as an example, he said streamlining rules would mean the same box-ticking did not have to take place twice when companies – whether in Ringaskiddy or New Jersey – wanted to export their products.

He acknowledged that free trade had become a “politically divisive” issue on both sides of the Atlantic, “even in places that have benefited most from trade”.

About 20 protesters from the People's Movement gathered outside the National Gallery ahead of Mr O'Sullivan's talk urging the scrapping of the proposed deal, which they claim is among measures that will develop Europe into a federal super-state.

Mr O'Sullivan said that notwithstanding the "clear benefits to Ireland from trade", he was aware there were people and organisations here that were "less than enthusiastic".

“This is not surprising coming on the back of a period of difficult austerity which made some people rightly resentful, like they were not at the Celtic Tiger party but somehow have ended up with the bill,” he said.

Mr O’Sullivan said negotiators would “have their work cut out” when they met next month for the 11th round of negotiations.