As readers of this website will be aware, the CWU along with other trade unions oppose the
Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in its current form, and have been lobbying our Members of the European Parliament (MEP).
CWU’s Dave Joyce has been one of tens of thousands who have been adding their names to petitions and writing direct to their MEPs. The Chair of the NW BTU Health and Safety Co-ord, Derek Maylor, has also contacted his MEP over the issue, and as a result will be meeting MEP Afzal Khan later this month.
Below is the email that Dave Joyce received from MEP Afzal Khan following his contact with him:
To Dave Joyce CWU
Dear Dave,
Thank you for your email regarding TTIP.
The TTIP negotiations are still ongoing and they are not expected to be concluded any time soon. Specific discussions between the US and EU on investment protection and ISDS have not even yet started. What is currently on the table is the outline of a proposal for a reformed ISDS from the European Commission. This proposal is currently being scrutinised by the European Parliament.
In June 2015 the European Parliament will vote on a resolution to set out its position on TTIP. While the European Parliament does not have formal powers in the negotiations, it does have the power to veto any trade deal. Expressing our position at this stage can therefore allow us to influence the outcome of the negotiations.
Labour MEPs are supporting an unambiguous amendment to this resolution, calling against the inclusion of ISDS in TTIP.
Labour MEPs have also tabled a series of amendments to call for a full exclusion of public services. We have developed these amendments together with public services users, providers and employees and are confident that the legal language we propose is absolutely watertight.
We have also tabled amendments to defend our standards, notably in terms of regulatory protections for workers, consumers and the environment, as well as food safety.
We have already started to gather support for our position from MEPs from other countries and political groups. You can rest assured that we are doing our utmost to ensure that the European Parliament will defend a strong resolution on TTIP which properly addresses all of the concerns that have been voiced in the public debate.
I hope this is helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Afzal Khan MEP
Once again, this proves how affective direct contact with MEPs and petition signing can actually be. A simple form of democracy which works!
Source: Dave Joyce / Unionsafety
