TPP talks report progress, while missing year-end target

The twelve countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will be extending their talks into 2014, ministers announced on Tuesday, despite having achieved “substantial progress” during an intensive series of talks in Singapore.

The 12-country group had previously set the end of 2013 as its target date for concluding the talks, and had held to that objective throughout the year, while giving informal indications that the negotiations could last longer if the substance demanded it.