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TTIP Is on the Floor, the Referee Is Counting Down...
"TTIP has failed, but nobody wants to admit it." Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel
"France is demanding the pure, simple and definitive halt of these negotiations." Trade Minister of France, Matthias Fekl
We've had an incredible victory this week. Some of the leading proponents of the EU-US corporate trade deal, known as TTIP, have said that the deal is dead.
Sep 03, 2016
" TTIP has failed, but nobody wants to admit it." Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel
" France is demanding the pure, simple and definitive halt of these negotiations." Trade Minister of France, Matthias Fekl
We've had an incredible victory this week. Some of the leading proponents of the EU-US corporate trade deal, known as TTIP, have said that the deal is dead.
We would never have got to this position without the tremendous mobilisation across Europe over the last 3 years. This has been one of the most significant movements in recent European history.
CETA: a new threat on the horizon
Of course, these statements are a ploy. TTIP has become so toxic that opposition is now infecting CETA - the Canada-EU trade deal which is TTIP's little brother. European politicians were scared that opposition to TTIP would prevent the passage of CETA through the European Parliament - which they hope will happen later this year. So they are sacrificing TTIP to save CETA.
That means that we really can beat CETA. And we must, because CETA is simply TTIP by the back door. It includes the anti-democratic 'corporate court' system which allows foreign corporations to sue governments in special courts not open to ordinary people. It's a risk to public services, financial regulation and decent food standards - just like CETA.
We are also working to halt other deals like TISA - the Trade in Services Agreement, which is a super-privatisation deal being negotiated by 50 countries. We are also going beyond opposition, by working up a positive alternative for trade agreements - what would a good trade deal look like? Following Brexit, the UK now needs to negotiate dozens of trade deals, and we want to make sure the debate is not dominated by free market fundamentalists.
In a nutshell, we want to celebrate the victory we have achieved together on the TTIP campaign. But this is not the end - we need to get active now to stop CETA.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Nick Dearden
Nick Dearden is the director of Global Justice Now (formerly World Development Movement) and former director of Jubilee Debt Campaign.
" TTIP has failed, but nobody wants to admit it." Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel
" France is demanding the pure, simple and definitive halt of these negotiations." Trade Minister of France, Matthias Fekl
We've had an incredible victory this week. Some of the leading proponents of the EU-US corporate trade deal, known as TTIP, have said that the deal is dead.
We would never have got to this position without the tremendous mobilisation across Europe over the last 3 years. This has been one of the most significant movements in recent European history.
CETA: a new threat on the horizon
Of course, these statements are a ploy. TTIP has become so toxic that opposition is now infecting CETA - the Canada-EU trade deal which is TTIP's little brother. European politicians were scared that opposition to TTIP would prevent the passage of CETA through the European Parliament - which they hope will happen later this year. So they are sacrificing TTIP to save CETA.
That means that we really can beat CETA. And we must, because CETA is simply TTIP by the back door. It includes the anti-democratic 'corporate court' system which allows foreign corporations to sue governments in special courts not open to ordinary people. It's a risk to public services, financial regulation and decent food standards - just like CETA.
We are also working to halt other deals like TISA - the Trade in Services Agreement, which is a super-privatisation deal being negotiated by 50 countries. We are also going beyond opposition, by working up a positive alternative for trade agreements - what would a good trade deal look like? Following Brexit, the UK now needs to negotiate dozens of trade deals, and we want to make sure the debate is not dominated by free market fundamentalists.
In a nutshell, we want to celebrate the victory we have achieved together on the TTIP campaign. But this is not the end - we need to get active now to stop CETA.
Nick Dearden
Nick Dearden is the director of Global Justice Now (formerly World Development Movement) and former director of Jubilee Debt Campaign.
" TTIP has failed, but nobody wants to admit it." Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel
" France is demanding the pure, simple and definitive halt of these negotiations." Trade Minister of France, Matthias Fekl
We've had an incredible victory this week. Some of the leading proponents of the EU-US corporate trade deal, known as TTIP, have said that the deal is dead.
We would never have got to this position without the tremendous mobilisation across Europe over the last 3 years. This has been one of the most significant movements in recent European history.
CETA: a new threat on the horizon
Of course, these statements are a ploy. TTIP has become so toxic that opposition is now infecting CETA - the Canada-EU trade deal which is TTIP's little brother. European politicians were scared that opposition to TTIP would prevent the passage of CETA through the European Parliament - which they hope will happen later this year. So they are sacrificing TTIP to save CETA.
That means that we really can beat CETA. And we must, because CETA is simply TTIP by the back door. It includes the anti-democratic 'corporate court' system which allows foreign corporations to sue governments in special courts not open to ordinary people. It's a risk to public services, financial regulation and decent food standards - just like CETA.
We are also working to halt other deals like TISA - the Trade in Services Agreement, which is a super-privatisation deal being negotiated by 50 countries. We are also going beyond opposition, by working up a positive alternative for trade agreements - what would a good trade deal look like? Following Brexit, the UK now needs to negotiate dozens of trade deals, and we want to make sure the debate is not dominated by free market fundamentalists.
In a nutshell, we want to celebrate the victory we have achieved together on the TTIP campaign. But this is not the end - we need to get active now to stop CETA.
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