People have the right to know | Friends of the Earth Europe

People have the right to know | Friends of the Earth Europe:

 The EU-US trade deal, if agreed, will be the biggest bilateral free trade agreement in history, with far-reaching impacts upon almost every aspect of life for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. The lack of transparency around the talks is deeply concerning. The negotiation process must be opened-up to public scrutiny. People have the right to know what's at stake.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), as it is known, will be under negotiation behind closed doors this week. Over 250 organisations, including trade unions, consumers, grassroots and development organisations and transparency watchdogs are calling on the European Commission to open-up the EU-US trade talks and make the negotiation process more transparent.

The European Commission has argued that secrecy in this process is inevitable because this is a matter of international relations. However, as these negotiations are highly likely to affect domestic regulations, standards and safeguards on both sides of the Atlantic, citizens have the right to know what is being put up for negotiation, and how decisions are being made.

All negotiating documents must be made public so that a democratic debate can take place. People – not just corporations – must be able to take part in discussions about what kind of economy, environment and future we want. Continued secrecy will only fuel suspicions that the negotiations are trading away citizens' protections for the benefits of powerful industry players.

You can join us in calling for transparency in the EU-US trade talks. Take action online:

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