While TTIP's advocates point to the economic benefits of an accord and the introduction of global standards, its detractors say it would erode wages and conditions. A populist surge is feeding protectionist sentiment that further complicates the conclusion of trade agreements such as an EU-Canada deal known as CETA.
Germany's Gabriel, who leads the country's Social Democratic Party, expects fellow party members to approve CETA at a convention on Tuesday in Wolfsburg, Bild am Sonntag reported, citing an interview. If they don't, nobody will take the EU seriously and China and the US will set the standards of global trade agreements, he told the newspaper.
At the Group-of-20 summit in China this month, global economic leaders said the populist mood sweeping many developed nations threatens trade, and called on governments and businesses to keep goods flowing across borders.
That warning came amid a dimming global growth outlook and faltering momentum for the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in the final months of President Barack Obama's term. Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have both spoken against the deal, which excludes China.