The US is putting pressure on the EU to lower environmental and consumer protection standards, leaked TTIP documents reveal. Greenpeace Netherlands has published secret negotiation texts for the TTIP free trade deal between the United States and the European Union reflecting about half of the draft text as of April 2016, prior to the start of the 13th round of TTIP negotiations. The documents released on Monday morning show that the US government is exerting more intense and far-reaching pressure on the EU than previously thought. They reveal that in particular the agricultural sector remains a bone of contention. Washington is threatening to prevent the easing of car exports into the US in order to force the EU to open its agricultural market for increased imports of US farm produce. A document on the tactical state of play demonstrates that the U.S. government “hastened to point out that it would need to consult with its industry regarding some of the products and that progress on motor vehicle-related parts would only be possible if the EU showed progress in the discussion on agricultural tariffs.” Greenpeace says the text is a nightmare for consumer protection. The precautionary principle that is enshrined in the EU Treaty and allows for the prohibition of products if they are not proven to be safe, is not mentioned in any of the obtained 12 chapters. On the other hand, the US demand for a ‘risk based’ approach which instead of taking preventive measures waits for evidence of harm before regulating is found in various chapters. With respect to consumer protection, the US states that prior to passing a ban the EU should evaluate “any alternatives to achieve the appropriate level of protection,” meaning that no law in this regard should be passed in the first place. In addition, the EU should also publicly explain whether any of those alternatives are significantly less restrictive to trade. “It is time to shine a light on these negotiations. Hard won environmental progress is being bartered away behind closed doors,” said Faiza Oulahsen, campaigner for Greenpeace Netherlands. “These documents reveal that civil society was right to be concerned about TTIP. We should stop the negotiations and start the debate.” President Obama said last week during his visit to Germany he was confident a deal could be reached soon. But the leaked documents paint a different picture, showing that opposing positions and text passages are still there side by side without a common draft text. The leak further reveals that the US was blocking an EU demand to replace the controversial private arbitration tribunals for corporative lawsuits with a model of public arbitration panels. In addition, the documents suggest that both sides consider giving corporations much wider participation in decision making. “These leaked documents confirm what we have been saying for a long time: TTIP would put corporations at the centre of policy-making, to the detriment of environment and public health,” said Jorgo Riss, director of Greenpeace EU. Until now, elected representatives were only allowed to view the TTIP documents under guard in a secure room without the permission to talk about the content. (ab)