The transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) : the devil will be in the detail

The European Union and the United States of America are currently engaged in negotiations on a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, known as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). According to the European Commission (2015), the resulting bilateral agreement should “help people and businesses large and small, by: opening up the US to EU firms; helping cut red tape that firms face when exporting; setting new rules to make it easier and fairer to export, import and invest overseas.” Despite these ideals, the proposed agreement and the negotiations to achieve it have been subject to criticism by many people and organisations across Europe. This article attempts to shed some light on the issues and the potential benefits (or otherwise) of TTIP with a particular focus on Scottish interests