hief negotiators representing the nations working on the stalled Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal have resumed their efforts in Washington this week to generate something like real momentum in the talks.
At any rate, we should see some kind of progress in Washington this week. A few more routine boilerplate chapters may be closed, or essentially closed. But don’t expect major breakthroughs; Japan’s December 14 election makes them basically impossible.
Here are the sticking points — the issues on which agreement continues to elude negotiators:
- Market access for agriculture
- The environment
- State-owned enterprises
- Intellectual property (pharmaceuticals)
- The automotive trade
- Labour issues
Read more at: http://ipolitics.ca/2014/12/11/trans-pacific-partnership-state-of-play/