Abstract
The recently commenced negotiations on a transatlantic free trade area (TAFTA | TTIP) are likely to have an impact on transatlantic and global agricultural and environmental regulation. The potential for developing a global trade regime that is able to face the pressing global food and environmental challenges of today and tomorrow, such as food security and climate change, depends to a large degree on whether the two major global players are able to arrive at concerted efforts to address them. This article will show how EU and US values and policy paradigms related to food and agriculture have developed over the last decade and are likely to affect the prospects for a TAFTA | TTIP. The more convergent the developments on either side of the Atlantic, the better the chances of (1) arriving at a TAFTA | TTIP, without agricultural issues such as genetically modified organisms (GMO) and non-tariff barriers impeding the endeavour, and (2) the trade agreement being conducive to tackling global food and environmental challenges. This way the article investigates whether a TAFTA | TTIP is likely to enhance the prospects that the world can be fed in the future and a sustainable planet is possible.
