US Trade Representative Michael Froman recently reported to the US Congress after raising concerns about the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) with the Commission in the context of the negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): ‘I share your concerns regarding the European Union’s development of proposals for amendments to the Fuel Quality Directive. Of particular concern has been the lack of adequate transparency and public participation in the process, and I have raised these issues with senior Commission officials on several occasions, including in the context of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP). We continue to press the Commission to take the views of stakeholders, including U.S. refiners, under consideration as they finalise these amendments’(1).
The Commission is asked to clarify the following:
1.
Have USTR Froman and the Commission discussed the FQD in the context of negotiations on the TTIP?
2.
Can the Commission provide details of when and how concerns about the FQD were raised and also when and how the Commission responded to these representations?
3.
Can the Commission assure the Committee that the delayed implementation of the FQD is not due to the representations made by the US Government in relation to it?
4.
Can the Commission clarify whether or not the FQD falls within the scope of the TTIP, considering that it has been explicitly excluded from the negotiations on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)?