歐美跨大西洋貿易及投資夥伴協定之興起與挑戰

The Rise and Challenge of the United States-European Union Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

歐盟與美國進行之跨大西洋貿易及投資夥伴協定（TTIP）談判，被公認是國際貿易史上最大規模與最具野心者。雖然歐美均同意一般自由貿易協定所涵蓋之市場進入問題乃是TTIP義務之核心，不過雙方對於如何處理各自市場上管制政策之差異歧見頗深。自2013年10月至2017年6月，歐盟與美國代表舉行十五回合正式談判。2017年1月與2017年6月初又再度舉行會議，檢視歐盟與川普政府有關協定談判之進展。雖然川普總統曾數度發表聲明，而歐盟亦提出關於TTIP協定之進展報告，但目前TTIP仍前景不明。自2017年1月以來，川普政府面對TTIP之問題，似有前後不一、自相矛盾之態勢。因此TTIP未來能否順利完成洽簽具有高度不確定性，一方面是因為政治問題，另一方面則是因為廢除非關稅貿易障礙之技術性困難。如此一來可能導致國際貿易之不穩定性，全球經濟成長趨緩，以及造成國際社會新的分歧。縱然目前TTIP之發展前景不明，但並不表示歐美之間已推動之TTIP談判徒勞無功；未來歐美雙方不無可能在TTIP之基礎上，推出新的貿易模式、新的協定型態，或以新的名稱取而代之。

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiated by the United States and the European Union is widely considered as the largest and most ambitious regional free trade agreement in the history of international trade. While the United States and the European Union broadly agree that market access problems traditionally covered in free trade agreements would be the subject of TTIP obligations, they have sharply divergent views regarding how to deal with differences in evolving regulatory policies in each market. Between October 2013 and June 2017, fifteen formal negotiation meetings have been held between representatives of the European Union and the United States. In January 2017 and again in early June 2017, update meetings have been held to review progress between the European Union and the Trump administration. Despite several statements from President Trump and a report by the European Union on the state of play for a final TTIP agreement, the current position on TTIP is unclear. There have been contradictory reports on the Trump administration’s approach to TTIP since January 2017.Therefore, successful conclusion of TTIP is far from certain. This uncertainty does not just stem from the usual political problems but also from the technical difficulties associated with the removal of non-tariff barriers. It has the potential to lead to instability in international trade, a slowing of global economic growth and new divisions in the international community. It does not mean that the TTIP negotiations between the European Union and the United States will be completely wasted. A new trade model, a new type of agreement and a new name for a trade partnership might emerge.