Blackheath and Greenwich United Nations Association is greatly concerned about three new trade agreements currently being negotiated between the US and other parts of the world - and in particular the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership - TTIP.
TTIP is currently being negotiated ("on our behalf") by the EU and the US. TTIP represents a massive attack on the sovereignty of democratically-elected governments, public service provision, labour laws and the environment. It could also threaten the work of the WHO, the WTO and the ILO.
Attempts to harmonise standards between the EU and the US are likely to hit hard-won protections on food and chemical safety (eg in cosmetics, pesticides and insecticides), the environment, and workers' rights. US agribusiness is pressing hard for Europe to import currently illegal GM products, and meat that does not conform to EU standards, such as chlorine-washed chicken and cattle raised through growth hormones.
There are other dangers, too: the threat of litigation against states who wish to pass laws in the public interest that could impact on corporation profits is particularly insidious. Currently, already, Quebec is being sued for deciding to ban fracking, and Philip Morris is suing the Australian government for trying to protect public health by legislation on the marketing of cigarettes; Germany is being sued because of its policies on nuclear power; Slovakia's public health system is being challenged by commercial interests. Such cases could become commonplace, with profits being placed firmly above people, and commercial interests overriding national law.
An instance of this is public service provision. Currently, we understand that there is no public-service opt-out provision, so education and the NHS, for example, could become targets. (The EU negotiating committee is unlikely to fight to protect the NHS.) We hope that you agree that it should be democratically elected governments who decide what services should be publicly owned and managed, in the public interest, not international corporations. Likewise, it should be governments, not international corporations, that set minimum wages, and health and safety regulations.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on US-EU Trade (chaired by John Healey MP) sees its role as explaining the benefits of the TTIP to the public; but seems oblivious to its dangers, and we urge it to take on board these dangers, and to alert HMG and the EU to them.
We are asking all our political leaders to campaign vigourously against TTIP, and, if and when you are called on to vote, to vote firmly against it.
UNA-UK
subtitle: UK action. Stronger UN. Better world.