TTIP and TPP could harm trade strength of developing countries

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) may have serious consequences for developing countries, argue Clara Weinhardt and Fabian Bohnenberger in a commentary for Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit (E+Z), also available in German. Possible risks for developing countries are losses in trade and competitiveness, as well as an increasing pressure to liberalize that diminishes their influence on global trade. To minimize such impacts, Weinhardt and Bohnenberger propose an asymmetric opening of these trade agreements for developing countries.