France has called for an end the ongoing trade negotiations under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the United States.

The French Minister for Foreign Trade, Matthias Fekl, made the call earlier today on French radio.

Speaking on RMC Radio, Fekl said that France will ask for the suspension of negotiations in September at a meeting of Foreign Trade Ministers in Bratislava.

In a tweet, Fekl said “France demands the cessation of negotiations #TAFTA #TTIP.”

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TTIp tweet

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The move by the French Minister follows a similar call from the German Economic Minister, Sigmar Gabriel last weekend.

Gabriel said that the negotiations with the US had “de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it.”

Sinn Fein MEP, Matt Carthy also said that it is clear that TTIP is politically dead, at least for now, in response to the German Vice-Chancellor’s comments.

“There are still many within the EU establishment who will vigorously pursue a TTIP deal and who may be willing to park the negotiations for a period with the intention of simply returning at a more opportune time,” Carthy said.

However, a spokesperson for the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, has said that the European Commission is making steady progress in the ongoing TTIP negotiations.

Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Schinas said that “although trade talks take time, the ball is rolling right now”.

The most recent round [of negotiations] was held here in mid-July in Brussels. Talks are now entering a crucial stage as we have proposals for almost all chapters on the table.

“Commissioner Malmstrom and US representative Froman are continuing the talks and Ministers will have a chance to take stock of these talks at the upcoming informal trade council in Bratislava on September 22.”

“Provided the conditions are right, the Commission stands right to close this deal by the end of the year,” he said.