ECI “Stop TTIP” Will Start on Self-Organized Grounds | The ECI Campaign

ECI “Stop TTIP” Will Start on Self-Organized Grounds | The ECI Campaign

 

ECI “Stop TTIP” Will Start on Self-Organized Grounds

One week after the European Commission
rejected the STOP-TTIP ECI proposal, citizens involved in the
organisation of the initiative decided to act.

STOP-TTIP has announced in today’s press release
that they will challenge the European Commission in the European Court
of Justice (ECJ) for denying the right to speak out against TTIP and
CETA in a European Citizens’ Initiative. However such a legal procedure
usually takes several years. This has been shown by at least four
ongoing similar cases brought up to Court by other ECIs that were
declared inadmissible. In fact already almost half of the ECIs that
applied for registration have been rejected by the Commission (20 out of 44). The ECI Campaign has raised attention on the highly restrictive interpretation of the ECI rules by the EU Commission. See here and here.

Michael Efler, member of the ECI
citizens’ committee, said: “International trade agreements should not be
negotiated behind closed doors without public intervention. This is the
principle we will be fighting for at the European Court of Justice. It
is unacceptable that, after secret negotiations over which we have no
influence, the European Parliament and the public are presented with a
fait accompli.”