Keith Taylor MEP: Toxic trade deal unravelling

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, has cautiously welcomed the news that a summit of EU leaders in Brussels has ended without any sign of a breakthrough on the controversial EU-Canada trade deal (CETA).

Taylor, who sits on the European Parliament's Environment Committee and is a staunch opponent of CETA and its well-known cousin TTIP, said:

Today's failure to agree a deal on CETA at the second time of asking this week is cause for celebration; the toxic trade deal is unravelling. But the deal isn't dead yet. Greens will stand with citizens across Europe until this controversial accord is defeated.

Put simply; CETA is a bad deal for the people of Britain, Europe, and even Canada, but a great deal for multinational corporations keen to escape the democratic oversight of national parliaments. It is little wonder that citizens across Europe and in North America are the loudest and more determined opponents of this toxic trade deal.  

'We ordinary people should not be the slaves of puppet governments that work for the benefit of the multinational.' So came the rallying cry of one citizen outside the European Parliament yesterday. Inside, decision makers were busy trying to find a way to resurrect the lame duck accord.

The deal, and particularly the 'Investment Court System' clause within it, poses a fundamental democratic question: do we want national parliaments to retain the power to legislate on behalf of their citizens or do we want to surrender that power to help boost the profit margins of multinational corporations? As a Green, the answer is clear; which is why I will continue working to halt this corporate power grab.

That Theresa May and her Ministers are still vehemently supporting the deal and pushing for it to be signed before Britain leaves the European Union is doubly concerning. It signals a desire to ensure Britain remains bound by the deal even after departing from the EU. It also sets a worrying precedent for the kinds of toxic trade deals desperate Ministers, supposed to be acting on behalf of the British people, will sign once the UK is outside of the EU.
 

World trade union meeting unites against TiSA and CETA

Pics from Panama

Global trade union leaders meeting in Panama have united in condemnation of TiSA (the Trade in Services Agreement and CETA (the Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement). The representatives, who were attending a key ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) meeting, highlighted the risks that both trade agreements pose to jobs and job security.

The two-day event is being held in Panama in recognition of that country’s role as a key global transport hub and component of the Federation’s plans for building the future of work LINK

Among those protesting against the trade deals were union representatives from Australia, Canada, Chile, Taiwan, Colombia, Costa Rica, European Union member states, Hong Kong China, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States. All pledged to renew their objections with their own governments.

The ITF has been one of the harshest critics of the trade agreements and has repeatedly warned of its little publicised risks and built-in injustices. It has laid out how they  will affect transport workers  LINK  such as seafarers, dockers and aviation workers, by undermining maritime cabotage rules that support vital national marine trades and knowledge, and throwing open nations’ ports and airports to predatory corporate raiders. The Federation has also allied itself with other international union organisations that have exposed the trade pacts’ agenda of promoting unwanted privatisation and liberalisation LINK .

ITF president Paddy Crumlin commented:

TiSA and CETA are a threat to all that trade unions hold dear – secure, safe and worthwhile jobs and the preservation of essential and hard fought standards. No one should be surprised that we have pledged to go from this meeting and continue the fight against them.

ITF general secretary Steve Cotton said:

Unions must keep up the pressure on TiSA and CETA and this event in Panama has been well timed and placed to assist with that, as the TiSA negotiators meet in Washington and the deadline for parties to submit their second revised market access offers falls tomorrow – not to mention the Belgium vote. Rarely have so many opportunities for us to be heard in pointing out the secretive and unjust nature at the core of these talks lined up together.

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