Local councils tearing strips off TTIP
Politicians in both Brussels and Westminster have taken great pains to try and brush offpeople’s many concerns about the toxic trade deal being pushed through by the EU and the United States.
An exciting new front is emerging in the battle against TTIP,
harnessing the energy of grassroots groups to push opposition to the
corporate power grab up the political food chain via the power of local
councils. In Britain and across Europe, TTIP Free Zones are popping up like people-power mushrooms.
On the one hand, it may be seen as a symbolic gesture to get your
local council to declare itself a TTIP Free Zone - after all, these
councils don’t have a direct say in whether or not the deal would be
passed. But there is a real political value in creating pressure in this
manner – it’s a powerful expression of grassroots opposition that MPs
and MEPs might otherwise not be exposed to.
But TTIP Free Zones are equally important as a means of promoting an
understanding the impact TTIP would have on the powers of local
councils. TTIP could also affect existing powers granted to local
authorities such as planning. The decision of Lancashire County Council
to deny planning permission for fracking in the local area is the sort
of decision that would be harder to make under TTIP – first because such
a decision could be challenged under ISDS, and second because of the
pressure to ‘harmonize’ energy regulations.
The provision of local public services and procurement could also be
affected. Current EU rules allow for environmental and social
considerations in awarding contracts. For example, local governments can
decide to buy only fairtrade or organic produce. Local authorities are
also allowed to ensure that procurement benefits small and medium-sized
businesses in the area – for instance a number of cities, including
Manchester and Glasgow, have become Sustainable Food Cities, and are
trying to use more locally sourced, sustainable food in the public
sector.
