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New levels of TTIP rejection revealed by Commission’s public consultation
Tuesday, 13 January, 2015
The extent of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership’s (TTIP) unpopularity across Europe was exposed today as the European Commission published the results of its largest public consultation in history. The results of the consultation, launched last year, were scheduled to be published in late 2014, but were delayed following an unprecedented number of largely negative responses...........
The results of the consultation, which focused on ‘investment protection’ under the controversial trade deal, showed that
of the 149, 399 responses, 97% of participants have voiced either a general rejection of TTIP or opposition to ISDS in TTIP.
the largest number of responses, 52,008 or 34.8% of the total, came from the UK.
Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now (formerly World Development Movement) said:
“‘Investment protection’ is an innocuous sounding euphemism for corporations being able to bully governments behind closed doors for billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money, so it’s little wonder that so many people across Europe are opposed to it. This public consultation has demonstrated once more the extent of TTIP’s unpopularity with European citizens."
http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/news/2015/jan/13/new-levels-ttip-rejection-revealed-commission%E2%80%99s-public-consultation
19 replies
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in the corporate media propaganda machines.
Thanks for posting!!
This is good to know.
If this is rammed through, when Americans find out about the details (ISDS), they will be enraged, and it will destroy the Democratic Party.
What the fuck are they thinking on this and a host of other issues? 
involved and set to lose with privatization and loss of control of safeguards for the environment, public safety nets, health services and pharmaceuticals, the ability to save and use seed, and on and on with every one of these agreements. I have a lot of learning to do about it all too, but I know they're all NAFTA on steroids, and all you have to do is look at the devastation in Mexico and the loss of jobs here in NA to understand what more is at stake. Corporations will control all of it, these agreements are spreading that ability like a cancer.
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership
The Council of Canadians outside the Delta Ottawa City Centre on July 7, 2014 to draw attention to the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership talks taking place inside. Photo: Ben Powless
Across Canada and around the world, people are speaking out about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP). They are rallying against the secrecy of the 12-country negotiations and the corporate agenda behind the deal.
On February 12, legislators in seven of the 12 TPP countries issued the following joint statement about the negotiations:
We, the undersigned legislators from countries involved in the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, call on the Parties to the negotiation to publish the draft text of the Agreement before any final agreement is signed with sufficient time to enable effective legislative scrutiny and public debate
In Canada, the statement was endorsed by the federal NDP and the Green Party of Canada. It is the simplest of demands for democracy on a “trade” deal that threatens to undermine the very notion of the public good, by giving corporations more power to undermine public policy.
Across Canada and around the world, people are speaking out about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP). They are rallying against the secrecy of the 12-country negotiations and the corporate agenda behind the deal.
On February 12, legislators in seven of the 12 TPP countries issued the following joint statement about the negotiations:
We, the undersigned legislators from countries involved in the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, call on the Parties to the negotiation to publish the draft text of the Agreement before any final agreement is signed with sufficient time to enable effective legislative scrutiny and public debate
In Canada, the statement was endorsed by the federal NDP and the Green Party of Canada. It is the simplest of demands for democracy on a “trade” deal that threatens to undermine the very notion of the public good, by giving corporations more power to undermine public policy.
http://www.tppmpsfortransparency.org/
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Canada Should Be Evicted From Trade Talks, Congress Members Say
The Huffington Post Canada | By Daniel Tencer
Canada should be tossed out of negotiations on a major multinational free trade deal if its government doesn’t agree to open up the agricultural sector to greater competition, U.S. Congress members have told President Barack Obama.
In a letter sent to the president last week, 140 members of Congress urged the president to cut Canada, as well as Japan, out of talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership if the countries refuse to open up their agricultural industries to competition under the deal.
The letter said the lawmakers were “troubled by Canada’s lack of ambition, which is threatening a robust outcome for U.S. farmers.”
In a letter sent to the president last week, 140 members of Congress urged the president to cut Canada, as well as Japan, out of talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership if the countries refuse to open up their agricultural industries to competition under the deal.
The letter said the lawmakers were “troubled by Canada’s lack of ambition, which is threatening a robust outcome for U.S. farmers.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/08/06/tpp-canada-supply-management_n_5654130.html
TTIP
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Trade_and_Investment_Partnership
Germany rejects CETA and TTIP; Council of Canadians applauds Germany's decision
July 26, 2014
The Council of Canadians applauds Germany's rejection of the Canada-EU and EU-US trade deals reported in Reuters today. The German government decided to reject these trade deals because of provisions that allow companies to sue governments for infringing on their profits.
"This is a victory for democracy. We are pleased that the German government has listened to critics of the investor-state dispute settlement provisions of the deal that give foreign corporations the right to dictate domestic policy," said Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians.
"We've worked to educate European politicians on just how harmful allowing companies to sue you can be," said Scott Harris, trade campaigner with the Council of Canadians. "We've told them about all the lawsuits Canada has faced under NAFTA for legitimate regulations that protect our health and environment."
The Council of Canadians was a major player in this battle and the first to challenge it. The Council is available for further comment on this breaking story.
http://www.canadians.org/media/germany-rejects-ceta-and-ttip-council-canadians-applauds-germanys-decision
EU-Canada trade deal leak ‘ridicules’ TTIP consultation, campaigners say
Published: 14/08/2014 - 18:03 | Updated: 18/08/2014 - 10:556
?itok=pxYRw34t
The leaked text of an EU-Canada free trade deal confirms fears that multinationals may sue EU states in special tribunals for enacting laws that upset their profit forecasts, and now campaigners question the public consultation on a free trade deal with the US.
The leaked EU-Canada Trade Agreement (CETA), signed last November and due to be unveiled on 25 September, contains a controversial chapter on Investor-State Disputes Settlement (ISDS) that is substantially unchanged from previous drafts.
These were used by the EU in March to get stakeholder responses to negotiations for a similar TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US. At the time, the Commission said that it would seriously consider all 150,000 responses.
But the use of the draft’s unamended wording in the final CETA treaty - before the results of the public consultation have even been analysed - show that it was little more than a PR stunt, according to Kenneth Haar, a spokesman for Corporate Europe Observatory.
CETA
Why is CETA bad for Canadians?
1. CETA threatens our public services!
We count on our governments to run a broad range of public services which help society and the economy function — from health care and education to water treatment, social programs, and everything in between. By making sure that everyone has fair access, we ensure a good quality of life for Canadians. But international big business doesn’t like publicly-run services, or the regulations that protect them. To them, public services are just one more thing to make money on. The CETA threatens to privatize and deregulate many of our public services. In fact, everything could be up for grabs, including municipal water systems, electrical utilities — even our mail delivery!
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http://stopceta.ca/bad-deal-for-canada
Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_Economic_and_Trade_Agreement
Canada-EU (CETA)
On September 26, 2014 Prime Minister Harper, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy signed a joint declaration to “celebrate the end of negotiations of the Canada-EU Trade Agreement.”
http://www.canadians.org/ceta
Ratification of CETA not likely until late 2015, early 2016
Apr 24, 2014. April 24, 2014 - 8:28am
The Council of Canadians has been campaigning against the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) since it was first proposed in October 2008. There is news today that a "handful of thorny issues" may mean that we still have two more years to derail its ratification.
The Toronto Star reports, "Six months after Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Brussels to announce Canada’s largest-ever free-trade pact with Europe, Canada and the European Union are still negotiating key aspects of the deal, with implementation possibly as much as two years away. ...Canadian officials estimated (in October 2013) that finalizing the deal, fixing all the legal language, translating the agreement and obtaining approval in Europe and Canada would take until the spring of 2015. But negotiators have yet to resolve a handful of thorny trade issues and the EU now doesn’t expect the pact to be put in place until late 2015 or early 2016."
"On the table are proposed rules related to import quotas for beef and pork, provision of services by business, investment rules and guidelines for determining, for instance, whether Canadian-exported cars with a mix of Canadian and United States parts are eligible for tariff reductions under CETA. ...Another factor that is raising questions about how the final approval of CETA will go is the recently initiated talks between the EU and the United States on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).These negotiations appear to have sparked increased concern in Europe over a controversial feature of current trade negotiations — investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms. These measures allow corporations to go before an independent tribunal and sue governments that allegedly discriminate against foreign companies. CETA contains an ISDS clause and any EU-United States agreement is expected to have one as well. But, reflecting complaints by NGOs that corporations are abusing these measures, the European Commission called a temporary halt in ISDS discussions with Washington to hold a public consultation on the measures."
The Toronto Star reports, "Six months after Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Brussels to announce Canada’s largest-ever free-trade pact with Europe, Canada and the European Union are still negotiating key aspects of the deal, with implementation possibly as much as two years away. ...Canadian officials estimated (in October 2013) that finalizing the deal, fixing all the legal language, translating the agreement and obtaining approval in Europe and Canada would take until the spring of 2015. But negotiators have yet to resolve a handful of thorny trade issues and the EU now doesn’t expect the pact to be put in place until late 2015 or early 2016."
"On the table are proposed rules related to import quotas for beef and pork, provision of services by business, investment rules and guidelines for determining, for instance, whether Canadian-exported cars with a mix of Canadian and United States parts are eligible for tariff reductions under CETA. ...Another factor that is raising questions about how the final approval of CETA will go is the recently initiated talks between the EU and the United States on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).These negotiations appear to have sparked increased concern in Europe over a controversial feature of current trade negotiations — investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms. These measures allow corporations to go before an independent tribunal and sue governments that allegedly discriminate against foreign companies. CETA contains an ISDS clause and any EU-United States agreement is expected to have one as well. But, reflecting complaints by NGOs that corporations are abusing these measures, the European Commission called a temporary halt in ISDS discussions with Washington to hold a public consultation on the measures."
"Jason Langrish, executive director of the Canada Europe Roundtable for Business, which has supported CETA, (says) Canada now must deal with an EU in flux. A new European Parliament is being elected next month by voters in 28 member states and a European Commission president will be chosen to replace [European Commission President Jose Manuel] Barroso in the fall. In the wake of the political and social turmoil caused by the deep recession in Europe, parties on the far right and far left of the political spectrum may play a greater role after the election, raising questions about what policies are likely to be supported by the next set of EU authorities."
Both the European Parliament and "all 28 member states of the EU must also ratify the pact".
If ratified, CETA could unfairly restrict how local governments spend money and ban 'buy local' policies, add hundreds of millions of dollars to the price of drugs, create pressure to increase privatization of local water systems, transit and energy, and much more. The secret negotiating process, as well as the overall corporate agenda behind these next generation deals, are an affront to democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.
Both the European Parliament and "all 28 member states of the EU must also ratify the pact".
If ratified, CETA could unfairly restrict how local governments spend money and ban 'buy local' policies, add hundreds of millions of dollars to the price of drugs, create pressure to increase privatization of local water systems, transit and energy, and much more. The secret negotiating process, as well as the overall corporate agenda behind these next generation deals, are an affront to democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.
https://monctonfreepress.ca/post/35999
http://www.dw.de/with-ttip-eu-and-us-promise-a-transatlantic-trade-miracle/a-17935749
DW: It seems like we live in a period of major international trade pacts with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), the Trade In Services Agreement (TISA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) all being negotiated or finalized right now. What is behind this trend?
Saskia Sassen: I think they are crucial elements, starting with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) rounds, for creating a global operational space that is an advantage for the multinationals. The truth of the matter is that when you look at the data the gains go to the firms operating globally. The notion of losing or gaining jobs like countries in Europe or the United States might try to look at, is just not an issue for them. So what they want is the capacity to access the particular labor supply or regulatory environment that works to their advantage. For the United States the data is quite clear: The United States has basically lost jobs. That affects workers, but it has nothing to do with big corporations. For them this is not important for their operation.
Saskia Sassen: I think they are crucial elements, starting with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) rounds, for creating a global operational space that is an advantage for the multinationals. The truth of the matter is that when you look at the data the gains go to the firms operating globally. The notion of losing or gaining jobs like countries in Europe or the United States might try to look at, is just not an issue for them. So what they want is the capacity to access the particular labor supply or regulatory environment that works to their advantage. For the United States the data is quite clear: The United States has basically lost jobs. That affects workers, but it has nothing to do with big corporations. For them this is not important for their operation.
I am not against international trade. We absolutely need it. I am not against the Ricardian model [whereby two countries produce two goods using one factor of production and are competitively equal - the ed.], producing different things in different countries, but we also have to factor in another increasingly important vector - the environment.
And a final issue I have with all these new generation treaties is that corporations gain rights. If you stand back and ask yourself who gains rights, it is not the citizens. Citizens in many of our countries have lost rights. Little rights that are sort of encased in technical aspects and most citizens don't even realize it until it happens to them. And with TTIP and TTP they gain even more rights and so a lot of critical analysts are stunned by these two treaties.
And a final issue I have with all these new generation treaties is that corporations gain rights. If you stand back and ask yourself who gains rights, it is not the citizens. Citizens in many of our countries have lost rights. Little rights that are sort of encased in technical aspects and most citizens don't even realize it until it happens to them. And with TTIP and TTP they gain even more rights and so a lot of critical analysts are stunned by these two treaties.
FAIR TRADE
