Following five years as European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström is now the EU's Trade Commissioner and has in that capacity the responsibility for the EU's negotiations with USA on the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (T-TIP).

T-TIP was also the subject at the annual Investors' Summit, held at Tallinn's Nordic Hotel Forum on Friday, October 31st.

The transatlantic economy is already the biggest commercial relationship in the world and if realized, T-TIP would create the largest free trade zone in the world. Some form of a transatlantic free trade area was proposed already in the early 1990’s, but it was not until the beginning of last year that discussions on T-TIP gained momentum. Negotiations are now held in week-long cycles alternating between Brussels and Washington.

Potential benefits of T-TIP discussed at the Investors' Summit included:

- Less red tape
- Opportunities for SMEs
- More competitive prices
- Job creation
- High global standards
- Investment boost

For more information on T-TIP, please refer to focus nr 2, 2014 - the magazine of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Estonia - and the article "Emerging Trade Blocs" in the economy section. The issue is available online at: www.swedishchamber.ee/focus

On behalf of the SCCE Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Amcham and the other four foreign Chambers of Commerce in Estonia for a good cooperation in preparing this year's Investors' Summit. My thanks also go to the speakers, the panelists and the participants for a very active discussion, as well as to the sponsors - Danske Bank and Triniti - and to Nordic Hotel Forum who hosted this year's Summit.

Sincerely,

Kristiina Sikk
SCCE Ombudsman

Investors Summit 2014 photos by FOTKI here.