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by _pmf_ 3703 days ago
You can probably bet that the German government uses TTIP as leverage against future "irregularities" regarding automotive regulations.

The spin in Europe (at least in Germany) is that the EU is portrayed as being pro-consumer, which is basically a joke (ask any VW owner in Germany how they are being compensated).
3 comments
lispm 3703 days ago
The spin in Germany actually is that regulation GENERALLY in the EU is working differently and that few want to change to the US model (less regulation to bring products to the market, but costly court cases). You can study the effects of the differences in many areas.

That it is not working in some areas and that there is a lot industry lobbying is another topic.

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PythonicAlpha 3703 days ago
The problem with the automotive industry is, that the top lobbyist in the EU for it is the German chancellor (which name soever he/she has).
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lispm 3703 days ago
No, the problem with industry general is that it is tightly interwoven with politics and naturally tries to find loopholes in any regulatory system. The question is, given that the regulatory approach is not perfect, which one has still more benefits for the consumer.

* a new pesticide enters the market. After three years we find out that it kills bees and would lead to the death of a species.

Germans usually would want that some independent upfront effort is done to determine that this product is potentially harmful and prevent it from entering the market. In real life, this leads to all kinds of practical problems. But that does not mean we should give up this approach, just because it is not perfect.

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PythonicAlpha 3703 days ago
The problem will be, that with such treaties as TTIP, the worst of both systems will become the default.

So it is very likely, that the US will get the standards for air pollution (from automobiles) from the EU and the EU will get the food standards from the US.

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gulpahum 3703 days ago
Looks like the EU will only get the standards from the US:

"The US insisted on its request for the commission to “require” in its standardization request, CEN and CENELEC to involve US experts in its standards development process (with no guarantee of reciprocity) as a condition for referencing harmonized standards."

https://twitter.com/jwildeboer/status/727086878621634560

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Hermel 3703 days ago
What is a joke is the disfunctional legal system of the US with its exorbitant fines, out of which a disproportionate amount flows into the pockets of reckless lawyers.
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