Atlantic Trade Deal May Bypass Croatian Parliament

An important trade deal between the US and EU, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, may be signed directly by the European Commission - by-passing the need for the deal to go to national parliaments.

The TTIP is a free-trade agreement designed to encourage multilateral economic growth and job creation.

If the Commission signs the agreement on the EU's behalf, the TTIP will become binding for Croatia as an EU member, without needing ratification by Croatia's parliament.

The Croatian government mentioned this possibility in answer to a question raised by an MP from the left-wing Labour Party, Dragutin Lesar.

The government says only so-called mixed contracts and agreements have to be ratified in parliament, while all others may be signed by the European Commission, in which case they are still binding on all member states.

The government said it has yet to be decided if the trade deal will go through the process of ratification in national parliaments.

If the EU Council of Ministers approves the agreement, the European Parliament must then support it, or not.

The TTIP is a controversial issue and activist groups and NGOs have staged protests across Europe against what they call a harmful deal.

Opponents say the TTIP will lead to further deregulation and a lowering of standards in five key categories: food and agriculture; protection of the environment; labour legislation; financial regulation; data protection.

The protesters also say one of the most harmful aspects of the TTIP mechanisms would enable corporations to by-pass national legal systems and seek financial compensation against states in international courts.