Greens have been longstanding opponents of CETA, the Canada-EU trade deal. Like TTIP, the proposed but suspended agreement with the US, CETA has strong UK Government backing. In February Green MEPs voted against CETA in the European Parliament, although a majority of MEPs, including UK Tory, Lib Dem and many Labour MEPs voted for it.

Jean Lambert explains why CETA is bad for animals:

“There are many reasons to oppose CETA, but we mustn’t forget its potential impact on animals. CETA aims to increase trade between Canada and Europe, but it also puts pressure on regulations which can be presented as ‘barriers to trade’. CETA’s Investment Court System (ICS) gives additional powers to multinational companies to sue governments in private tribunals which operate outside the domestic court system.”

“CETA says little about animal protection, but Canada’s farmed animal welfare laws are much weaker than those of the EU. Under CETA an additional 130,000 metric tons of beef and pork will be allowed to be exported from Canada to Europe and these will not need to meet EU animal welfare standards.”

“But concerns over animal protection go further than this. We should not rule out the Investment Court System being used by multinationals to challenge present or future animal welfare provisions. As with environmental protection, this could lead to the overturning of public policy, huge compensation payouts, and, perhaps worst of all, a chilling effect on progress towards more ambitious animal protection laws.”

“For these and many other reasons Green MEPs voted against CETA in the European Parliament. Regrettably a majority of MEPs didn’t heed our concerns. But Brexit will certainly not solve the problem. The UK Government is strongly committed to CETA and wants to negotiate its own similar trade deal with the US.”

• A version of this article appears in the spring/summer 2017 edition of Making Tracks.

ENDS

The post Why the CETA trade deal is bad for animals appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

To receive monthly updates about Jean’s work as London’s Green MEP please sign up here.

The post Jean Lambert MEP February E-News appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

Green MEPs are warning that Brexit will not free the UK from toxic trade deals as the European Parliament votes to green-light CETA, the controversial EU-Canada trade deal [1].

The deal, which has been long opposed by trade justice campaigners, trade unions, European Green Parties and millions of citizens in the EU and Canada, was voted through by a majority of MEPs during a plenary session in Strasbourg today.

Greens/EFA MEPs were among the only UK representatives to vote against the deal. Conservative and Lib Dem MEPs are expected to have voted to support CETA* with a number of Labour MEPs expected to have joined them* [2] despite pressure from trade unions [3], the Shadow Minister for International Trade [4], and even the Party’s own Head of Trade Policy [5].

Opposition to CETA has focused primarily on the provision to allow multinational corporations to sue democratically elected governments in ‘extrajudicial’ and ‘secretive’ courts if they feel their financial interests are threatened by any policies enacted by those governments [6].

Greens have also argued that the trade deal will be bad for workers’ rights, climate action, animal welfare, and chemical and product safety.

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London and a member of the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs committee, said:

“To believe that CETA will bring more and better jobs to those who need them is pure wishful thinking. Research shows this proposed trade agreement is more likely to continue widening the gap between low and high-paid workers and offers no safeguards for existing labour standards. Many trade unions oppose CETA and so did the European Parliament’s Employment Committee, of which I’m a member. We need to invest in quality jobs, not widening the gaps.

“There are many other problems too, which is why Green MEPs highlighted 12 Reasons to oppose CETA [7], and why we voted against it today in the European Parliament. It’s extremely regrettable that a majority of MEPs didn’t heed our concerns, and have instead today voted for CETA to go ahead. It’s now up to national parliaments across Europe to take action to block this damaging deal.”

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East and a member of the European Parliament’s Environment committee, said:

“CETA is a bad deal for the people of Britain, Europe, and even Canada, but a great deal for multinational corporations keen to escape the democratic oversight of national parliaments. It is little wonder that it is citizens across Europe and in North America that are the loudest and more determined opponents of this toxic trade deal.

“Canada has a long track record of taking legal action against European countries’ environmental laws and is fundamentally opposed to high chemical and pesticide safety legislation. Canada is also home to more than half of the world’s mining companies and pursues an active policy of exporting fuels derived from highly polluting tar sands. In that context, it is extremely worrying that CETA’s ‘commitments’ on environmental standards remain unenforceable. Greens will continue to oppose any agreements that lock us into fossil fuel dependence and damage our climate goals.”

Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP for the South West and the Green Party’s Brexit Spokesperson, drew attention to divisions within Labour, an issue she highlighted in a News Statesman article today [8]. She said

“With trade, as with Brexit, Labour are exposing how weak they are as an opposition. The Party is hopelessly split between backing the citizens of Europe and caving into corporate power.

“Their long-time Trade coordinator in the European Parliament, David Martin, has been a forceful supporter of CETA and has strenuously opposed the Greens for their opposition to the anti-democratic aspects of this treaty. No wonder their shadow trade minister can only persuade half his MPs to vote against this toxic deal.

“The weakness of socialists across Europe to protect citizens against the worst aspects of corporate globalisation is driving people towards the forces of the Right, thereby fanning the flames of fascism.”

ENDS

[1] http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/plenary/video?date=15-02-2017
[2] 408 MEPs voted for CETA, 254 against, 33 abstained.
[3] https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/news/83179/excl-fresh-labour-turmoil-barry-gardiner-tries
[4] https://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/14/ceta-vote-labour-union-letter/
[5] https://twitter.com/jhilary/status/831423962324283393
[6] The so-called Investment Court System gives corporations the power to bring cases against nations in a ‘secretive’ and ‘extrajudicial’ court https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/resources/2nd_edition_ceta_briefing_2016.pdf
[7] http://ttip2016.eu/blog/id-12-reasons-the-greenefa-group-are-opposed-to-ceta.html
[8] http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2017/02/brexit-britain-should-beware-trade-policies-justin-trudeau

* Roll Call Vote results will be published within the next few hours.

The post Green MEPs warn Brexit is no escape from toxic trade deals as CETA gets the green-light appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

To receive monthly updates about Jean’s work as London’s Green MEP please sign up here.

The post Jean Lambert MEP January E-News appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

The UK’s 2016 EU Referendum, where 51.9% voted to leave the EU but 48.1% voted to stay, started a process that will transform Britain’s relationship with the rest of Europe. Greens campaigned strongly to remain in the EU and we continue to believe the UK is best served by being an EU member.  Much has already been said about the effect of Brexit on trade – but the focus has often been one of wishful thinking, with scant regard for some of the underlying issues, including the constraints on Britain ‘going it alone’ in trade terms.

UK Trade After the Brexit vote brings together perspectives from elected Greens, academics, campaigners and trade unions, from the UK, EU and internationally.

The publication considers some of the most pressing questions around trade and Brexit, including:

• Would countries put a trade deal with the UK ahead of a deal with the EU, and if so, at what cost?
• What are the prospects for UK trade deals with countries such as India, Australia and the US, and what might the costs and impacts be? What would the UK need to offer in return?
• What impacts could such deals have on specific areas like agriculture, services, and the environment?
• How far would a UK-US trade deal amount to a powershift to multinational companies rather than ‘taking back control’?
• Why is CETA a particularly bad model for future UK-EU trade relations?
• What will happen to the trade deals we currently have with 50+ countries, which arise from our EU membership?

Contributions from Jean Lambert MEP, Prof. Alan Winters, Molly Scott Cato MEP, Keith Taylor MEP, Dr Geenthajali Nataraj, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson (Australian Senate), Rosa Crawford (TUC), Melinda St. Louis (Global Trade Watch) and Ska Keller MEP.

Read/download the publication here.

Paper copies are available on request.

The post UK Trade After the Brexit vote appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

* The arguments presented in favour of CETA simply don’t add up – Jean Lambert

The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee has today recommended that the European Parliament decline to give consent to CETA.

Their opinion will now be passed to the lead committee, International Trade, who will vote in January ahead of a final plenary vote on the agreement at the beginning of February.

Commenting after the vote, Greens/EFA Member of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee Jean Lambert said:

“The arguments presented in favour of CETA simply don’t add up. On working conditions, the deal is highly suspect. The Investor Court System would create additional rights for investors, without providing anything meaningful in response for workers, increasing the imbalance in rights and protections. It would also risk widening inequality. There are serious concerns that the deal could contribute towards the growth in income inequality, something that is already a huge problem in the EU. We are all for the creation of quality jobs, but the evidence that this deal would deliver on this is paper-thin.

“We expect the International Trade committee to take these concerns into account when they make their final recommendations to Parliament.”

 Greens/EFA trade spokesperson Yannick Jadot added:

“Today’s decision highlights again the many reasons why we have joined NGOs and civil society in opposing CETA. But it also highlights the problem with the way these decisions are made. Why is such a devastating opinion only being allowed to be heard this late in the day?

“The Parliament will have a final opportunity next year to show it is willing to put the common good first by refusing to give consent to CETA.”

The Greens/EFA group proposals for how to improve the procedure can be found here.

The post European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs committee opposes Canada trade deal appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

Greens will tomorrow present a motion to the European Parliament calling for the CETA trade deal between the EU and Canada to be examined by judges of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).  As well as the potential negative social and environmental impacts of the Free Trade Agreement, Greens believe that there is legal uncertainty as to whether the proposed agreement is compatible with certain EU Treaties.

In particular, the proposed Investor Court System (ICS) would enable corporations to sue governments for passing legislation that could harm their profits. Greens believe that such a system should be subjected to proper legal scrutiny by the ECJ before coming into force to ensure it is compatible with existing EU treaties and laws.

A vote for a debate ahead of the vote has already been rejected, with Conservative and some Labour MEPs voting against. Tory MEPs have already indicated they will vote against sending CETA to the ECJ.

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London, said:

“No member of the European Parliament should be able to vote in good faith on the controversial EU-Canada trade deal without putting it through proper legal examination. Legal certainty on the deal should be of the utmost importance, especially for British MEPs as it will set a precedent for future trade deals including future UK deals outside the EU.

“Too many Governments and politicians seem to want to push this dodgy deal through no matter what – this is the wrong approach. Greens believe it’s time to forget CETA and deals like it which give more power to transnational corporations and weaken important protections and instead embrace a different kind of trade that improves workers’ rights, protects the environment, and enables the transition to a more sustainable and equal economy.” ​

Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP for the South West, said:

“It seems like the government’s interpretation of ‘Take back control’ is to stifle debate and try and block courts from making rulings on issues of national and international significance.

“I was shocked that Conservative MEPs voted to prevent the European Parliament having a full debate on this crucial issue of whether private corporate courts break EU law. The system of secret, corporate courts proposed within CETA represents a massive corporate power grab. These courts are likely to have a chilling effect on governments seeking to improve social and environmental standards, so it is crucial that this dodgy proposal receives legal scrutiny.

“Having been bruised by the courts over article 50, it seems the government are running scared of democracy.” 

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, said:

“CETA is a bad deal for the people of Britain, Europe, and even Canada, but a great deal for multinational corporations keen to escape the democratic oversight of national parliaments.

“The ‘Investment Court System’ clause within CETA poses a fundamental democratic question: do we want national parliaments to retain the power to legislate on behalf of their citizens or do we want to surrender that power to help boost the profit margins of multinational corporations?”

“It is doubly concerning that Theresa May and her Ministers are still vehemently supporting the deal. It signals a desire to ensure Britain remains bound by the deal even after departing from the EU. It also sets a worrying precedent for the kinds of toxic trade deals desperate Ministers will sign once the UK is outside of the EU.”

Briefing: Stop Toxic Trade September 2016

The post Greens demand ‘toxic trade deal’ be examined by European Court of Justice appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

To receive monthly updates about Jean’s work as London’s Green MEP please sign up here.

The post Jean Lambert MEP October E-News appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

Greens have welcomed a climb down by EU Trade ministers today who postponed a decision to approve the CETA trade deal between the EU and Canada. Heads of state and government will now discuss how to proceed with the trade agreement at a Council meeting on Thursday and Friday.

Greens have long opposed CETA and its better known cousin TTIP, the controversial US-EU trade deal, on the grounds that they are a ‘corporate charter’, threatening workers’, consumer and animal rights, health and safety standards and environmental protections. Both deals also want to grant corporations the right through special courts to sue governments over any legislation that threaten their profits.

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London, said:

“Controversy about the EU-Canada trade agreement is mounting by the day, and rightly so. This deal would give more power to transnational corporations and weaken important protections for our environment, our heath, our rights at work and our rights as consumers. Whether or not ministers push the deal through this week it will still have to get past the European Parliament, and Greens and others are determined to vote against it and to stand up for a different kind of trade that improves workers’ rights, protects the environment, and enables the transition to a more sustainable and equal economy.” ​

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, who sits on the Environment Committee in the European Parliament, said:

“Today’s postponement is worth celebrating for what it represents: a trade deal spiralling into confusion. Greens are at the forefront of the fight against toxic trade deals and, along with the strength of public opposition, our message is being heard. CETA is in disarray, much like its well-known cousin TTIP. Heads of state and governments thought they could rush through a decision today; they were wrong.

“Discussions will now take place later this week in full glare of the Citizens’ CETA Summit, where citizens, politicians, and campaigners will come together in the European Parliament to register their opposition to this EU-Canada trade deal. A trade deal which includes, amongst its most pernicious elements, an ‘Investment Court System’ which allows corporations to sue democratically elected governments for protecting the rights of their citizens.”

Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP for the South West and Green Party speaker on EU relations, said:

“The corporations and political elites who have been steering free-trade deals for many years are finding they are losing control. Strong public resistance and opposition from national and regional governments in Europe are throwing the controversial TTIP and CETA trade deals off track.

“However, we must recognize that this is just the start of the fight. The Conservative government has shown itself desperate for trade deals at any price. The risk of isolation following the vote to leave Europe may encourage them to sign us up to even more damaging trade deals. With so much of the energy of the anti-TTIP and anti-CETA fight coming from the UK, it would be a tragic irony if we found ourselves leaping out of the TTIP and CETA frying-pan into the fire of whatever pro-corporate trade deals Liam Fox cooks up.”

ENDS

Briefing: Stop Toxic Trade September 2016

The post Greens celebrate climb down on controversial trade deal appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

To receive Jean’s monthly E-News about her work as London’s Green MEP please sign up here.

The post Jean Lambert MEP September E-News appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.