The free trade agreement with Canada: the Trojan horse of TTIP
Article by Neoklis Sylikiotis, AKEL Political Bureau member, MEP and Vice-President of the GUE/NGL Group
9th October 2016
On 19th September 2016 the German Social Democratic Party voted by a majority in favour of supporting the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada. According to press reports tremendous pressure was exerted on the party and its leadership to support the agreement. The party’s leader, Sigmar Gabriel, hopes that in doing so he will improve his party’s chances of increasing its electoral percentage in the upcoming elections. The lobby groups that exerted pressure hope that they will trap and force the German Government into supporting the agreement and dampening the resistance of the peoples against the so-called “new forms of free trade agreements.”
These agreements do not aim at cutting trade tariffs between their members. Anyway, tariffs between Canada and the EU do not exceed 3% except only on agricultural products. The aim of these agreements is the possibility of reducing “non-tariff barriers.” That in brief is to say, the deregulation of the market and the dismantling of any trace of protecting working people and the end of standards for the environment and food. The TTIP (EU-US Free Trade Agreement) and the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA (free trade agreement between Canada, USA and Mexico) are such agreements. The peoples in the EU have expressed a dynamic “No” to TTIP. Across Europe mass demonstrations have been organized, the biggest one held in Berlin in 2015 with the participation of 250,000 people which forced even the German government to distance itself from the agreement.
Now the European Commission and the European Council are trying to bring back TTIP through the back door through the CETA. As in the case of the TTIP as well, the agreement provides for a non-judicial mechanism to resolve disputes between investors and the state, namely the so-called called “Investor to State Dispute Settlement” (ISDS). Neither the elected representatives of the people, but nor appointed judges as well participate in the Mechanism. On the contrary, private individuals are selected, very often the chosen ones of the multinational companies to decide the fate of the people behind closed doors. Democracy itself is undermined, since the multinational companies can challenge the decisions taken by sovereign State through the ISDS by claiming compensation when their profits are considered as being adversely affected. It is no coincidence that the investor’s coordinated attacks against Argentina and Venezuela were done via a similar model.
The ruling EU economic circles are leading us to the complete domination of the market. Labour rights and labour law are now to be reviewed in a way that will “attract investors”, forcing wages down and curbing rights. In addition, environmental protection requirements and standards for the safety of consumers and public health (for example, the prohibition of genetically modified beef, but also modified agricultural goods) will be drastically crushed.
As the Left, we stand together with the organizations of the working people and social movements against TTIP. We have won many battles. That is how we shall also struggle against CETA too, but also against any CETA, whether this is concluded with the US, Canada, or any other countries. These agreements shackle and subjugate the sovereignty of States, democracy, and the rights of working people and citizens in general.
They will find us continuously struggling against them. We will continue to struggle with consistency in order to enhance working people’s rights and for the welfare state, on the side of the peoples and workers, against the interests of the multinationals.
