TTIP document leak - selected text preview | War On Want

TTIP document leak - selected text preview | War On Want

 

TTIP document leak - selected

 

preview

1 May 2016 - 9:15pm

News

The
massive leak of secret TTIP negotiating papers due out tomorrow (2 May)
will reveal the true extent of the danger posed by the controversial
EU-US deal, and early signs are that it will be even worse than already
suspected. For the first time, we will be able to see in black and white
exactly what the US negotiators are demanding of the EU, and what the
European Commission is prepared to sacrifice in order to seal the deal.
Here is a sneak preview of just three sections made available this
evening - the texts in italics are from the leaked papers:

1. Farewell, European farmers

Any export gains for EU car manufacturers will come at a massive cost
to European agriculture, with the European Commission sacrificing the
small-scale farmers of Europe in order to force open US markets for
major European corporations. Here is the deal:

The EU proposed a possible package on
mechanical devices in Chapter 84 and electrical appliances in Chapter 85
for which both parties share offensive interests. While the US showed
an interest, it hastened to point out that it would need to consult with
its industry regarding some of the products and that progress on motor
vehicle-related parts would only be possible if the EU showed progress
in the discussion on agricultural tariffs.

2. Approval of GM food

TTIP uses the euphemism of 'modern agricultural technology' to refer
to genetically modified (GM) food, and the US is demanding that all
producers of GM food have automatic access to the regulatory procedures
of the EU. Not only this, but the European Commission will be required
to provide GM producers with full details of what they need to do to get
their products approved:

Where a Party requires a product of modern
agricultural technology to be approved or authorized prior to its
importation, use or sale in its territory, the Party shall allow any
person to submit an application for approval at any time.

Where a Party requires a product of modern
agricultural technology to be approved or authorized prior to its
importation or sale in its territory, each Party shall make publicly
available:

(a) a description of the processes it applies to accept, consider, and decide applications for approval or authorization;

(b) the competent authorities responsible for receiving and deciding applications for approval or authorization.

3. Business chill on future regulation

One of the key aims of TTIP is to prevent the introduction of any new
social, public health or environmental regulations that might represent
a burden on business. The leaked documents confirm that TTIP threatens
the 'precautionary principle' that stands at the centre of all EU
regulation. More than this, the US is now demanding that corporations
receive prior warning of any new rules or standards to be introduced,
and the EU will have to justify its decision to introduce any new rules
in future:

When developing a regulation, a regulatory
authority of a Party shall evaluate any information provided in comments
by the other Party or a person of the other Party regarding the
potential trade effects of the regulation that it receives during the
comment period and... provide its views on substantive issues raised.

In addition to the above three issues, the leaked documents show
that the USA has no interest in the EU's much vaunted 'investment court
system' - a major blow to the European Commission, which will be unable
to ratify TTIP without this element.

John Hilary, Executive Director of War on Want, commented: "The TTIP
negotiations will never survive this leak. The only way that the
European Commission has managed to keep the negotiations going so far is
through complete secrecy as to the actual details of the deal under
negotiation. Now we can see the details for ourselves, and they are
truly shocking. This is surely the beginning of the end for this much
hated deal."