The Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP will take effect 60 days after all of the original 12 countries have completed the legal procedures required by national law to adopt the agreement. The TPP will also enter into force after two years if six of the original countries, which account for 85% of the combined 2013 GDP of the original 12 countries, have adopted the agreement.
In the United States, Congress will consider TPP under fast-track rules adopted early this year. These rules give Congress the right to approve or reject the agreement, but not to amend it. The timeline for Congressional consideration began on November 5th. There are several steps involved in this timeline, but the end result is that Congress is not likely to act on the agreement until the summer of 2016.
