The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations aim to remove trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors so as to make it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US.
In a report published on July 29 following the sixth meeting, the European Commission announced the plan will be in the form of a set of projects, along with updates on other negotiation areas, including cosmetics and textiles.
At the meeting, both sides agreed to test initial ideas for cooperation in two pilot projects covering prioritisation of chemicals for assessment as well as classification and labelling, while fully respecting existing procedures on either side.
Discussions to date have focused on processes for regulating cosmetics ingredients (UV filters and colourants), labelling provisions, cosmetics standards/guidelines and alternatives to animal testing.
These meetings have also helped to further clarify each side's respective positions and gave impetus for increased technical collaboration and scientific exchanges in areas of common interest.
The exchange of information on procedures, processes and criteria for the potential areas of cooperation as identified in the EU’s public position paper is advanced and reflections have now moved to how to put this into practice.
The seventh round of negotiations are scheduled for September in Washington DC.
Industry concern that both sides may struggle to agree
Just last week industry experts suggested that the EU and US may struggle on an agreement, particularly in the area of prohibited cosmetic ingredients.
Then, EU chief negotiator, Ignacio Garcia Bercero had raised the issue that 1,300 substances are already banned in cosmetics in Europe, compared to the US, which only prohibits 11 and that both sides would need to work together to avoid unnecessary duplication of regulatory resources.
“We are trying to discuss concretely to what extent, if a substance has been approved in the EU following a risk assessment, it can be taken into account by the US regulators,” he explains.
To date, the EC has outlined that it wants an agreement on how best to test chemicals, the identification of, and response to, new or emerging issues; and more effective data sharing and protection of confidential business information included in TTIP.
The US has since stated that it is supportive of this proposal, but has some reservations on elements of the classification and labeling of chemicals.