Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership

As a transatlantic business organisation British American Business’ (BAB) mission is to help companies connect and grow their businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. One of BAB’s core objectives is to advocate for the freest flow of transatlantic trade possible. The ongoing negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement are a crucial step in helping to reduce current barriers to trade and investment and to increase transatlantic collaboration. BAB believes that a comprehensive and successful TTIP could benefit thousands of businesses, employees and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.

With its presence in the UK and the US, BAB represents one of the largest economic relationships in the world. Since 2012, BAB has been active in the promotion and support of the negotiations. BAB’s TTIP engagement includes submissions and letters to government, a range of communication activities, support and provision of the Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on EU-US Trade and Investment (APPG) and a UK-wide TTIP road show programme.

Over the last three years BAB has made a total of 17 submissions and sent five letters to government. BAB representatives spoke on 15 occasions with government and public communities and provided oral evidence three times to parliament. Since its creation in 2012, 35 blog posts have been published on BAB’s dedicated TTIP website. During its last term, the APPG held nine meetings on TTIP in parliament. BAB is regularly being covered by the local and national media on the topic. BAB’s work is referenced in numerous publications, including the latest European Commission SME report ‘Small and medium-sized enterprises and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership’. Almost 500 people follow BAB’s Linkedin Group, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

BAB organised 27 events on TTIP, including two nation-wide road show series in the UK, roundtables and conferences. The first road show series covered 15 events in 12 UK cities, with 580 participants and over 300 small and medium-sized companies represented. There were 1,500 copies of the summarising report for the first series printed. Keynote speakers at conferences and roundtables included the former Trade EU Commissioner Karel de Gucht, the EU TTIP negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero, The Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Senior Advisor for Standards and Global Regulatory Policy, US commerce, Jeff Weiss.

It is BAB’s ambition and goal to provide a useful and influential voice on TTIP on both sides of the Atlantic. This also includes addressing the concerns and questions businesses and other stakeholder have while continuing to highlight the benefits of the agreement.

One area where BAB has been particularly successful is in its approach to exploring the local, specific and tangible benefits of TTIP. BAB has shown how on a local level increased market access and regulatory compatibility can make a difference for business. BAB believes that the real impact is particularly visible “on the ground,” where UK-US trade and investment takes place every day.

As the negotiations continue BAB will continue its advocacy for a successful and comprehensive trade and investment agreement between the EU and the US. A successful agreement will include compromises and changes. But the TTIP opportunity is too good to be missed because in the end TTIP is a continuation of an already existing successful transatlantic trade and investment reality.