* Exclusive: Document obtained by campaign group shows legislation will be influenced before it reaches European Parliament
The European Commission will be obliged to consult with US authorities before adopting new legislative proposals following passage of a controversial series of trade negotiations being carried out mostly in secret.
A leaked document obtained by campaign group the Independent and Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) [GMW: Should be: “obtained by the Independent and the campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory”?] from the ongoing EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations reveals the unelected Commission will have authority to decide in which areas there should be cooperation with the US – leaving EU member states and the European Parliament further sidelined.
The main objective of TTIP is to harmonise transatlantic rules in a range of areas – including food and consumer product safety, environmental protection, financial services and banking.