German economy minister reiterates doubts about EU-US free trade deal

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel reiterated his doubts about a free trade deal between the European Union(EU) and United States on Tuesday, saying it would not be possible to conclude negotiations this year.

Gabriel said in Berlin that no significant issue in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) had been clarified after 14 rounds of talks since July 2013. "This state of negotiations allows no conclusion".

It would be "pure fiction" that an agreement would be reached by the end of this year, before the U.S. President Barack Obama leaves the office, the German minister said, arguing that the Americans were unwilling to make compromise with Europeans.

He believed that the TTIP negotiations would come back on the agenda long after the U.S. election and might need a new mandate from the new U.S. government.

On Sunday, Gabriel claimed that the negotiations between EU and U.S. had "de factor failed", even though no one admitted it.

Politicians from the EU and United States, however, contradicted his declaration on Monday, saying the negotiations were making steady progress.

Source : XINHUA