(This article is a translation of the press release of the 2nd of December that you can find here)
As the Ninth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference opens in Bali, a collective of political and citizen organizations calls for mobilization against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP, TAFTA in french) which is currently being negociated with complete lack of transparency.
For months, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed during international meetings. This agreement aims at strenghtening free trade practices between Europe and the United States, by completely redefining current commercial regulations, and has been negociated without the slightest regard for democracy or transparency.
After having successively derailed ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) the French Young Greens intend to support the Stop TAFTA collective and raise public awareness on the risks of a new trade agreement negociated in secret.
Far from protecting consumers, or pushing our economy forwards, the TAFTA-reglemented harmonization will only manage to lower social, health-related and environmental standards, as well as implement the commodification of social services and common goods.
« This agreement sacrifies rules and regulations protecting basic aspects of our daily life and our health, all on the altar of performance and free trade, » claims Lucas Nédélec, Federal Secretary of the French Young Greens. « Instead of innovating with a new form of growth based on healthy food, protective work legislation, and the relocation of a human-scale economy, with good quality public services, we are being given the old chestnut of ultra liberal solutions to the problems ultra liberalism created itself. It makes no sense whatsoever ».
Faced with the predictable consequences of the TTIP (complete authoritization of GMOs, of shale gas, deregulation of the workplace and of health structures), the French Young Greens are answering to ATTAC and AITEC’s call, and join the Stop TAFTA collective with other political and citizen organization.
Convinced that, like the fight against ACTA, victory against TTIP will be ganed through public debate and general mobilization, they will be pursuing initiatives to achieve this goal and call to join the movement in front of the USA’s Chamber of Commerce (77 rue de Miromesnil, Paris), on December 3d, 2013.
CONTACTS :
- Rosalie and Antoine – International Officers : international@jeunes-ecologistes.org
Picture : Éric Coquelin – Demonstration Stop TAFTA organized by the collective of citizens « les Engraineurs » (24th november 2013)