TTIP Is on the Floor, the Referee Is Counting Down... | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community
“TTIP has failed, but nobody wants to admit it.” Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel
“France is demanding the pure, simple and definitive halt of these negotiations." Trade Minister of France, Matthias Fekl
We’ve had an incredible victory this week. Some of the
leading proponents of the EU-US corporate trade deal, known as TTIP,
have said that the deal is dead.
We would never have got to this position without the tremendous
mobilisation across Europe over the last 3 years. This has been one of
the most significant movements in recent European history.
CETA: a new threat on the horizon
Of course, these statements are a ploy. TTIP has become so toxic that
opposition is now infecting CETA – the Canada-EU trade deal which is
TTIP’s little brother. European politicians were scared that opposition
to TTIP would prevent the passage of CETA through the European
Parliament – which they hope will happen later this year. So they are
sacrificing TTIP to save CETA.
That means that we really can beat CETA. And we must, because CETA is simply TTIP by the back door.
It includes the anti-democratic ‘corporate court’ system which allows
foreign corporations to sue governments in special courts not open to
ordinary people. It’s a risk to public services, financial regulation
and decent food standards – just like CETA.
Protesters rally against TTIP and CETA in Germany in April 2016. (Photo: campact/flickr/cc)
