Progress Pond

European Parliament Turning Against TTIP and Ties to USA

Creating Russia as Europe’s number one enemy through NATO military ties and provocation is part of the New Deal to make Europe an economic entity of US and UK corporations and its banking systems. Europeans are slowly waking up to the secret TTIP negotiations to sellout labor, food  and environment laws and regulations.

The Hague: TTIP must not undermine our democracy and legal system

The trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, TTIP, should not “undermine our national legal system and the Dutch democracy.” This is contained in a motion of Christian Union MP Gert-Jan Segers that was adopted by a large majority of the House this afternoon.

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Who whispers the lies! Stop TTIP and secret negotiations (Photo EPA / Wolfgang Kumm)

Social Democrats – Labor parties – in Brussels reject the controversial TTIP treaty

The Labour Party is against the big TTIP trade treaty that the European Union and the United States want to close, if it’s not fundamentally altered. With this sharp position the party turns directly against its own minister Ploumen (foreign trade) which is involved in the negotiations on behalf of the Netherlands on this major treaty, which should lead to an “economic NATO.”

The Labour delegation in the European Parliament even sees no salvation more TTIP. “There are currently a lot of economic problems,” said MEP Agnes Jongerius in NRC Handelsblad. “Ensuring that you can wonder if that can be solved.”

    [No mention of the extreme high unemployment and the corruption in the Eastern European nations that were fast-tracked into the EU political fold! These states are also the trouble-makers in animosity against Russia. Remember Rumsfeld and his “new Europe” willing to place a missile shield of interceptors … against an attack by Iran! What a bs from Washington. – Oui]

According Jongerius can Europe “an even larger internal market” not to, given the problems that the EU already has with freedom of movement and social exploitation. MP Jan Vos believes that the social contracts that are not typical for Europe “can simply be exchanged for an ill-trade agreement with the US.” There should in his opinion much better guarantees come under more social policy field, the environment and animal welfare.

The deal

Together the US and EU account for around €22 trillion in annual trade, almost half of the world total. By opening trade further, this could boost global GDP by 0.6% a year or more if knock-on effects on productivity are included. And the effects would be even bigger if the deal eliminates permanent trade barriers, such as customs and taxes, which is also being negotiated.

Currently EU and US businesses pay trade tariffs to sell their products in each other’s markets. TTIP would remove these. It would also reduce costs from duplication, where businesses must meet US and EU standards that are often similar but different.

Dancers in the dark – EU’s opaque trade negotiations with US | New Europe |

(Sept. 2014 ) – The European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, has launched a public consultation in relation to the transparency of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.

This public consultation takes place in the context of her strategic investigation into TTIP transparency (against the Council and the Commission) which she opened in July 2014. In her letter to the Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, Emily O’Reilly said: “the Commission seems to be encountering significant delays in replying to what appear to be numerous and broad-ranging requests for public access to documents relating to TTIP. Concerns have also been raised in relation to privileged access being given to certain external stakeholders and to the unauthorised disclosure of documents in certain instances.”

To say that negotiations around the TTIP are conducted in an opaque manner is an understatement. Documents are impossible to obtain, even by MEPs, strategies are kept secret, while the negotiators are not accountable to national governments.

Ag interests urge science-based standards for EU trade negotiations

CHEVY CHASE, Md., Oct. 1, 2014– Several agriculture groups reiterated their priorities for removing trade barriers to U.S. goods in the European Union during the seventh round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) negotiations at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Stakeholder groups representing several aspects of the U.S. and EU economies involved in T-TIP presented their concerns and priorities during the Stakeholder Forum.

Frances Smith, and adjunct fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said the U.S. system has a more transparent approach than the EU when it comes to publishing regulatory proposals and asking for public comments. “The EU system uses the precautionary principle, which allows populist beliefs to evade the science-based rules,” Smith said.

She said genetically modified foods, biotechnology and pesticides are some of the top contentious issues in negotiations with the EU, along with chemicals and pharmaceutical devices. Instead of trying to converge regulations in the face of many sensitive issues and varying approaches, Smith suggested the trading parties attempt “mutual recognition,” which would ensure all parties have their own safety procedures in place, but that they come to similar results.

Heartland Institutes took over where Competitive Enterprise Institute left-off  

Why has Monsanto “Quit” Europe? The Answer is ISDS in TAFTA/TTIP

The battle to bring GM food to Europe has been fiercely fought for years.  Most assumed it would be continue to rage for many more. Which makes this recent announcement extremely surprising.

In fact, the issue of GM crops is likely to be one of the biggest sticking points in the TTIP negotiations. The US side is insisting that “Sanitary and Phytosanitary ” (SPS) measures must address GM foodstuffs, with the European side adamant that it won’t drop its precautionary principle.

 So how might that apparent contradiction be resolved?  A recent meeting on SPS gives a clue …

Heartland Institute is a Terrorist Organization
BooMan by Steven D  on Mon May 7th, 2012

Guess who claimed that climate change scientists are just like Charles Manson, the Unabomber and Fidel Castro? Our good friends at the Heartland Institute, a notorious conservative think tank that promotes denial that man-made global warming is behind climate change: Here’s one image of the billboards they were running …

Heartland Institute compares belief in global warming to mass murder | The Guardian |

See my previous diaries:
Anglo-American Values Don’t Fit Europe, Time to Protest NATO Aggression
Trade Pacts – Oligarchy in Action, US Not Really a Democracy
TTIP Treaty to be Signed – Super NAFTA Undermines Democracy

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