EU and US negotiators have met in Brussels for the fourth round of talks on a planned transatlantic free trade deal.<br /><br />Tariffs between America and the 28-member bloc are already low; they are about 4 percent on average.<br /><br />But officials say scrapping red tape will boost growth on both sides of the Atlantic.<br /><br />They expect any agreement between the the US and the EU to set new global benchmarks for trade.<br /><br />Both economies account for half of the entire world’s GDP and the European Commission predicts that both would expand by more than 200 billion euros once the deal takes effect.<br /><br />Opponents argue the lack of transparency that surrounds the negotiations is bad news for democracy.<br /><br />They say a free trade deal between Europe and America would erode regulatory standards and weaken the rights of consumers.
