TPP Countries Eye Potential Chief Negotiators' Meeting as Elections Loom

The 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement are reportedly considering holding high-level talks next week in the US city of Atlanta, as the impending elections in some key players threaten to complicate the long-term timeline for the trade deal. If held, the Atlanta gathering would come two months after an effort to broker a final TPP accord among ministers in Hawaii fell short, with the key divides being over rules of origin for automobiles, dairy and sugar market access, and data exclusivity for biologic drugs. (See Bridges Weekly, 9 August 2015 ) Whether these negotiators’ meetings in Atlanta will be followed by a ministerial has yet to be confirmed publicly, though many reports suggest that it is likely to occur. If so, that would fit a timeline hinted at by officials throughout the past month. Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari recently suggested that another TPP ministers’ meeting could be scheduled within the coming weeks – assuming a deal seems within reach – a suggestion that has been echoed by officials and leaders from other TPP countries, including US President Barack Obama. “I am confident that we can get it done, and I believe we can get it done...