On 6 October, 2015 the Lithuanian Free Market Institute hosted a round table discussion on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between authorities and business representatives. The discussion was attended by Public Affairs Director for Central and Eastern Europe at UPS Wojciech Arszewski, and the representatives of the Embassy of the United States, the American Chamber of Commerce, and the Ministry of Economy.
A large part of the discussion focused on the transfer of tangible goods and parcel delivery. The participants addressed the issue of postal monopolies and fragmented transport regulation in some of the EU countries that pose problems for carriers. For example, today parcel delivery from Romania to Sweden is twelve times cheaper than the delivery of the same parcel from Sweden to Romania.
The participants also addressed the current state of negotiations regarding the TTIP as well as its future prospects. The opinion expressed was that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will be an opportunity for both, successful EU companies and new business startups to enter a wider market. According to Mr. Arszewski, a successful implementation of the TTIP is expected to create thousands of jobs across Europe and as many as 2,500 at UPS.
