Emma McClarkin MEP puts foot on the gas on EU-USA trade deal

East Midlands MEP Emma McClarkin today addressed the European Parliament, talking about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) currently being negotiated between the EU and the USA.

Miss McClarkin, who is the Conservative Spokesman for Trade, used the opportunity to remind MEPs how important the deal is. She said:

“We must grasp this opportunity. A free-trade deal is good for growth and jobs but particularly one of this scale; in the long-term we can expect that it will boost the EU economy by as much as 100 billion pounds annually.

“For the individual man or woman on both sides of ‘the pond’, they will notice that they have more choice of products to choose from, which are of a better standard, at a cheaper price.”

She also told MEPs that the deal has potential benefits for businesses both large and small:

“We must also ensure that the deal benefits businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, irrespective of size. We can make this happen even for our smallest businesses by eliminating tariffs, by aligning customs processes at borders and by increasing regulatory coherence between the EU and the US.”

Lastly, she addressed concerns and false rumours which have been circulating about the deal:

“There are concerns amongst the wider European public about this deal, specifically when it comes to food standards. EU negotiators have ruled out the inclusion of hormone beef and chlorinated chicken, so for these concerns to still be doing the rounds represents an element of mischief making from those fundamentally opposed to the deal.”