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Marathon talks on a sweeping Pacific trade pact continued to drag on in Atlanta Sunday evening, the deal delayed despite a few trade ministers’ statements earlier in the day that the announcement of a final agreement could be imminent.
Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari reportedly said Sunday afternoon that parties had reached an agreement “in principle.” That was a day after talks were extended for another 24 hours, prompting Mr. Amari to put the onus on the U.S. to show flexibility and wrap up the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The trade ministers, who arrived Wednesday, Sept. 30, after four days of talks by their deputies, had initially hoped to hammer out a final deal by Thursday.
News outlets reported earlier Sunday that a breakthrough was in sight after parties neared a compromise on what turned out to be the stubbornest hurdle in the deal: the period of protection granted to drug companies for testing data on so-called “biologics”, drugs made from living organisms and used to treat illnesses like cancer.
Pharmaceutical companies say the protections, which stand at 12 years in the U.S., drive innovation and the development of new therapies. Opponents in countries like Australia, where the standard is five years, say such protections delay life-saving treatments and drive up health care costs, enriching executives at the expense of the public.
Drug-company detractors were the most vocal protestors in Atlanta this week, including some who have interrupted private proceedings at the Westin and elsewhere with chants of “No TPP death sentence! We can’t wait eight years!”
U.S. negotiators had reportedly said they would push for an eight-year compromise, while Australian officials said as recently as Sunday evening that they wouldn’t budge on their five-year line. Developing countries party to the deal, such as Peru and Chile, are said to be leaning toward Australia’s side on the issue.
Early Sunday evening, journalists at the Westin Peachtree Plaza downtown found themselves in a holding pattern once again, as a press conference presumably scheduled to announce the final deal was delayed first, then pushed back indefinitely.
Some trade ministers have already departed after five days of constant negotiations. A Latin American diplomat with knowledge of trade negotiations told Global Atlanta that such a prolonged period of high-level talks is rare in multilateral forums, if not unprecedented. Some have interpreted the length of the talks as an indication of the parties’ resolve to get it done before domestic politics in various countries get in the way. Canada, where opposition has raged over the deal’s agricultural and automotive provisions, is set to hold parliamentary elections Oct. 19.
Trade ministers from Japan and Mexico both said Sunday they expected the agreement to be announced before the day’s end, according to news reports. If and when the news conference happens, it is set to be broadcast online at https://ustr.gov/TPP/Atlanta-Livestream