Public opposition to “free trade” and multinational corporations could obstruct closed-door negotiations over the Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement between the United States and European Union, EU government officials and businesspeople stated Friday, according to Reuters.

“We are grappling with people who are anti-European, who are anti-American, who are anti-free trade, who are anti-globalization and who are anti-multinational corporations,” said Alexander Stubb, Finland’s minister for Europe and trade, quoted by Reuters at a meeting with EU government officials and business leaders.

“We have an uphill battle to make the argument that this EU-U.S. free-trade agreement is a good one,” Stubb remarked.

Ben Beachy, Research Director for Public Citizen, told Common Dreams, “Stubb is correct that he faces an ‘uphill battle’ to gain support for a controversial deal opposed by a diverse array of consumer, small business, environmental, family farmer, public health, labor, Internet freedom and other groups concerned about the pact’s threats to the public interest. His resort to name-calling won’t help.”