EU mandate in EU-US trade and investment negotiations: Transparency is essential
Meeting together in Brussels today, European trade unionists responsible for trade and investment policies have deplored the secrecy around the EU’s draft negotiating mandate for the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) published on 12 March 2013. Considering the potential scale and impact of such a transatlantic agreement, not only on jobs and their quality in Europe but also the global regulatory framework, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) demands greater transparency from the Commission on the draft mandate, which should be discussed with stakeholders and the European Parliament.
“The conclusions of the High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth in February, set out proposals on regulatory compatibility and liberalisation, which will have enormous consequences for workers on both sides of the Atlantic”, stated Bernadette Ségol, ETUC General Secretary, “and yet the public is not privy to how the Commission or our governments will define the EU’s mandate. This is a huge challenge to democracy, and will not help engender public support for these negotiations.”
“We know from recent European Court of Justice cases that business has privileged access to these documents and policy makers”, she continued, “this increases the danger that trade negotiations are perceived as a corporate agenda to reduce working conditions and the room for public services. Transparency is essential to demonstrate good faith from our trade negotiators.”
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