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What happened to TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement, and what next with CETA ? UPDATES

see latest updates below and links to the latest developments


One World Week is a member of the Trade Justice Movement (a coalition of NGOs concerned to make trade fairer).

From 2014, TJM has been monitoring the progress of the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) betwen the EU and the USA. We were very concerned that so little was known by the public about the proposed Treaty.  It sounded dull and remote from ordinary peoples' lives but that perception was misleading. If the treaty were to come into being it could turn back the clock by reducing standards of health and safey and environmental protection that have been carefully put in place for more than 50 years. 

"We fear that this agreement, if passed, will prioritise investor interests over the government’s ability to protect the interests of people and our environment, and will undermine important elements of our democratic framework."

TJM members agreed the wording of a letter (see below) which was sent to the then Business Secretary, Vince Cable, outlining their concerns and calling for the negotiations to be abandoned. We shared this letter with you, our OWW supporters, so that you might take action should you wish to do so, The WDM (now Global Justice Now) website had suggestions for action but since July 2014 most of the news and action has been on a WDM hosted specialised website "no TTIP"  which has all the latest news and comments about what is happening and the progress of the negotiations or at least as much as is known. They made very disturbing reading!  

A massive campaign right accross Europe and in the US seems to have halted the progress of the TTIP ( see articles by Monbiot and Dearden in the updates below ).   But a similar treaty, CETA (more about it here), which was being negotiated quietly behind the scenes at the same time, has been completed and was due to be ratified in October 2016 - but objections from Belgium held it up. A new campaign is trying to stop CETA too . More here. The implications of this treaty (and another on Trade in Services) coming into being are deeply concerning for our democracy, environment and human rights. See Monbiot's article below.

“Corporate lobbyists and their captive governments have been seeking to impose such treaties for more than 20 years, starting with the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (it was destroyed, like TTIP, by massive public protests, in 1998). Working in secrecy, without democratic consent, they will keep returning to the theme, in the hope of wearing down our resistance.

When you are told that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, this is what it means. This struggle will continue throughout your life. We have to succeed every time; they have to succeed only once. Never drop your guard. Never let them win.”  (Monbiot in the Guardian, 6 Sept. 2016)

So please tell others about it and help to widen the discussion    

38 degrees is also campaigning on this issue  - you can contact them here 

(Below the updates is TJM's letter to the Business Secretary in 2014)

Updates

Latest

See article by Nick Deardon of Global Justice Now, in the Guardian 14 November 2016, "TTIP was defeated by activists – Trump just exploited public anger over it" - about the implications of Trump's victory for Trade treaties.

 

"The TTIP defeated but worse to come: CETA  and others" 

see article by George Monbiot ( Guardian 6 September2016) which summarises what has happened and the threat of CETA and other potential agreements.

 

from TJM  23 May 2016

It’s been a busy time for work on TTIP and CETA. heres an update.

Headlines:
- Greenpeace Netherlands have released a massive leak of TTIP negotiating texts which confirm campaign fears.
- Opposition to TTIP has been mounting: concerns have been raised in France, Germany and a number of other countries. In the UK Diane Abbott and Peter Lilley have also raised concerns.
- Negotiations show little sign of substantive progress but negotiators still say they are aiming for some sort of deal by the end of the year.
- The Sustainability Impact Assessment for TTIP has been released (18 months late...)  and shows that whilst a lot depends on the specifics of the deal, there are clear risks of negative impacts for developing countries. 


Dec 2014

Global Justice Now, War on Want, 38 degrees and the Green party in Europe continue to campaign against the TTIP.  Global Justice Now reports: "The campaign against TTIP is gaining huge support and great momentum. A year ago, very few people had heard of TTIP. Now, over a million people have signed petitions against the deal in the UK."  and two million accross Europe.

They also point out that "The prospects for countries in the global South are bleak. Many enjoy most favoured nation status in trading with the European Union, but this is threatened by TTIP. Worse will follow, as TTIP will become the global standard for trade deals in the future. The power shift to corporations will be echoed across the planet."

You can follow the progress of negotiations and campaigns on the Global Justice Now website or the noTTIP website.

The original TJM letter to:

Vince Cable

Dear Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills

We write to express our serious concerns about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (TTIP) currently being negotiated between the European Union and United States. We fear that this agreement, if passed, will prioritise investor interests over the government’s ability to protect the interests of people and our environment, and will undermine important elements of our democratic framework.

Although TTIP has been presented as a ‘silver bullet’ for Europe’s economic problems, there has been much criticism of the growth and employment figures provided by the European Commission. For instance, Ferdi De Ville (University of Ghent) and Gabriel Siles-Brügge (University of Manchester) have argued that TTIP is unlikely to significantly boost growth. Meanwhile a report by the European Commission argues that there will be prolonged and substantial dislocation of EU workers as a direct result of TTIP which will simply entrench European inequality between regions. Furthermore, the European Commission concedes there are “legitimate concerns” that those workers who lose their jobs as a result of TTIP will not find other employment.

We know that TTIP is not primarily concerned with already low tariff barriers between the European and US markets. The European Commission has been clear that the biggest ‘trade barriers’ under discussion are not tariffs at all, but “for example, different safety or environmental standards.” So it seems clear to us that this agreement is primarily about commercial, social and environmental regulation and investor protection in a wide range of economic sectors, including public services. We are concerned in particular that:

  • The proposed investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) would allow corporations additional legal power over government policy. Research commissioned by your own government has stated such a mechanism would have no benefit for the UK.
  • Negotiations on investment rights in public services and procurement would limit a future government’s ability to oversee and regulate vital services like health and education.
  • Harmonisation talks – the very centre of the negotiation – are being used to lower standards on a range of areas from environmental protection to health and safety. This has been pushed by corporate lobbyists. For instance, the European Services representative told a meeting on EU investment policy in 2011: “Industry will oppose any deal in which investment protection is traded off against public policy objectives, including human and labour rights.”

Trade unions, NGOs, faith groups and consumer protection watchdogs are expressing their concern about TTIP across Europe and the United States. We are witnessing growing opposition to an agreement being signed. 

Without evidence to support the benefits of TTIP for workers, citizens and consumers in the UK, and with considerable concerns about the detrimental social and environmental impact of TTIP, we are calling for a halt to TTIP negotiations. While negotiations are on-going, we call on you to take immediate actions within the UK’s competency:

-          organise a public consultation on the full TTIP treaty;

-          insist that the precautionary principle is upheld;

-          ensure that health, education, water,  sanitation and other public services are protected from further liberalisation; and

-          commit DFID to undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the deal on the multilateral system and on developing countries.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Dave Prentis, UNISON

Paul Kenny, GMB

Sally Hunt, University and College Union

Christine Blower, National Union of Teachers

Andy Atkins, Friends of the Earth

Nick Dearden, World Development Movement

John Hilary, War on Want

Jim Cranshaw, People and Planet

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News

Press Releases

Newsletters

Including You
(August 2016)

Recently Added Resources

New Funding Opportunity - The Common Good Fund - Application Deadline 27 Feb. 2017 see more here

Organisers' Evaluation form for 2016 events Download from here

Wordsearches for Including You events - download them from here

Press release template for 'Including You' events download here 

Quotations about  building an inclusive peaceful society - Download from here a 5 page booklet as a word.doc or pdf 

Pledges to build an inclusive society - find them here

"Who is a Migrant?" - anactivity/game to get people talking to each other at your events. Download the instructions here 

School Assemblies from Christian Aid- link to and download a PowerPoint and notes 

Looking for a speaker for your event? Download here a list (pdf) from the Discussion page (posted 12 Sept 2016)

Faith resources relating to "Including You".Download pdf here  links to materials offered by OWW's partners and supporters: worship, discussion, films ...plus Prayers for OWW(updated 7 Sept '16)

Presentation "A OWW approach to Migration" Download this PDF version of a 12 slides (15 -20 minutes) powerpoint

Need funding for your event? Apply to Big Lottery Celebrate Fund! NOW or you'll be too late for OWW more here and other suggestions

Poster/ flyer design kit - download from here

2016 Leaflets "Including You" download PDF versions here

Introductory PowerPoint about organising local inclusive OWW events - updated for 2016.  Down load ppt here

Migrant crisis or poverty crisis? - A briefing paper from Global Justice NOW Download as a PDF here

2016 - "Including You" - Booklet of ideas, links and resources for interpreting the theme. Dowload a PDF here (updated July 2016)

Learning resource/activity for young people about peace - from Fly Kites not Drones;   suitable for activites in or out of school. find links here: schools ; activities (added Nov. 2015 but still relevant for this years events)

Organisers' Evaluation Form for event organisers to completand send to OWW - down load the word.doc from here

Event participants feedback form  (for organisers to collect feedback from participants at OWW events)   (word.doc)