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TTIP talks: What’s cooking?
- Perspectives on Food & Farming
In conclusion
Philippe Lamberts
wished the Commission and US
Trade representatives good luck
with their negotiations, because
with the unprecedented level
of public mobilisation against
TTIP it is not likely that the TTIP
project will succeed
, at least not
in its present form.
Conclusion
MEP and co-president of the Greens/
EFA in the European Parliament
Philippe Lamberts
questioned the
democratic principle of free trade
and globalisation, and asked whether
it is citizens who have requested
globalisation and free trade or
governments. On the question of
share values and standards, the US
and EU agribusiness share the same
interest and standards, and that
corporate control should be curbed.
MEP Lamberts criticised the
European Commission for being
out of touch with European citizens
in the current trade agreement
although attempting to give it a
varnish of democracy. Agribusiness
multinationals share the same values
and interests on both sides of the
Atlantic and it is these multinationals
that will be the big winners. Indeed,
efforts should be made to curb the
power of multinational corporations.
It is important to ask the question,
who will benefit from this trade
deal? We are putting the legislative
systems in competition or in the case
of multinationals playing systems
against each other to maximise
shareholder value.
Who is asking for TTIP? Did you hear Civil
Society asking for TTIP, I didn’t! Did you hear
the trade unions ask for TTIP? I didn’t! Did you
hear SMEs asking for TTIP, well some of them.
Who asked for TTIP: multinationals
on both sides of the Atlantic have
asked for TTIP.”
Philippe Lamberts,
Member of the European Parliament.