[raphman]

Here is a nice explanation of the reasons for secrecy:

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-trade-agreements-like-the-Tran...

tl;dr: two reasons: if each minor step in the negotiations is made public, lobbyists and NGOs will constantly bug the negotiators. Furthermore, if one side publicly states which lines it will never cross in the negotiations, it loses leverage because the opposite side now knows on which points they can expect less resistance, and will use this knowledge as a tactical advantage.

[fnj]

Yeah, due process sure is a drag, isn't it.

[SturgeonsLaw]

We wouldn't want to bug those poor negotiators while they whittle away what's left of our democracy

[yoplait_]

These deals take years to negotiate. It's just a matter of practicality. Democracy can always say no to deals if it wants to (as is happening here).

[acqq]

That the TTIP-like deals take years is not by accident, but by design: the nasty stuff is to be included in one big package and obscured, to be accepted "by the democracy" only because it's a part of the whole "and look, there's some pork there too." Otherwise the smaller deals, which would actually be in the clear interest of both sides would happen much more often.

As the user walterbell posted https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12569891 :

5-min video on the major trade agreements and ISDS, https://youtube.com/watch?v=M4-mlGRPmkU