Brussels, Dhu-AlHijjah 23, 1436, Oct 7, 2015, SPA -- A petition opposing the mammoth free trade deal being negotiated between the European Union and the United States has collected more than 3 million signatures, organizers announced Wednesday. If approved, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) would create the world's largest free trade zone and could help revive the EU's flagging economy, its proponents argue, dpa reported. But the deal has been bogged down by concerns that it could water down standards and allow corporations to evade national laws. Similar criticism has also been levelled at CETA, a separate transatlantic trade deal that has been concluded with Canada. The Stop TTIP campaign group staged a demonstration in front of the European Commission in Brussels on Wednesday after collecting almost 3.24 million signatures. The commission - the EU's executive - had previously dismissed a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) against TTIP, arguing that it did not meet the required legal criteria. The ECI framework was introduced to give citizens a greater say in European lawmaking, but the commission rejected the TTIP initiative, saying that it falls outside of its powers. -- SPA 22:42 LOCAL TIME 19:42 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w