Berlin--Say four simple letters, TTIP, to many Europeans and you're likely to be met with a blank stare.
But in Germany, where resistance to the proposed US-EU free trade pact or Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is fiercest, the response is likely to be a volley of angry words.
In fact, in the whole of Europe, perhaps only in Austria and Luxembourg is the interest and opposition likely to be of a similar magnitude, as a new round of talks -- the ninth since last year -- kicks off in New York on Monday.
According to a YouGov poll published at the end of March, 43 percent of Germans believe that the pact, which has the government's support, would be "bad" for their country, compared with 30 percent who see it as "good."
Out of the seven countries polled, no other showed a similar level of scepticism.
The biggest bones of contention are health and safety standards, notably in the area of food, but also a clause which would allow corporations to sue governments in tribunals that are above national law.
Peter Sparding, a researcher at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, said that "given Germany's position as Europe's largest economy and one the world's leading traders, the debate in Germany has the potential to affect the scope and scale of a final agreement."
AFP
