EU Parliamentarians Call On Congress To Stop Fast Track

This morning 42 members of the European Union Parliament delivered a letter to the United States Congress. Like U.S. Congress, EU Parliamentarians have also been shut out of the negotiating process for rigged corporate trade deals like the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). They are doing everything in their power to stop this corporate takeover and we must continue to do our part. If we are able to stop Fast Track, we will deliver a huge blow to the world’s most exploitative multinational corporations. Many thanks go to our allies in EU Parliament.

Read the text of the letter: Members of the European Parliament´s concerns on Fast Track Package (1)

Dear Member of the US Congress,

After the recent rejection of the Fast Track Package, the White House will insist on a new vote that will be held today. Since the negotiations of bilateral trade agreements (including TTIP) by the European Commission take place under a procedure which is equivalent to the proposed Fast Track, the undersigned members of the European Parliament would like to make clear their experience and position regarding bilateral trade treaties.

It is clear that TPP and TTIP are far reaching treaties which would have deep consequences for all countries involved and their citizens, and it is crucial that different interests are taken into account, which can only be done by democratically elected representatives. However, the proposed Fast Track Package would allow the Administration to legislate bypassing the will and opinion of Congress, undermining the principle of separation of powers. So is the current situation in the European Union, whereby the European Parliament has no voice in the negotiations led by the European Commission.

Members of the European Parliament only have very limited access to selected pieces of information regarding TTIP. Since we only have the information that European Commission’s negotiators decide to share with us, we can’t really fulfil our duty of holding the European Commission to account.

Once the treaty is concluded, the European Parliament will only be able to vote for or against it, but not to amend it. As a consequence, the treaty will not properly take into account the various interests of all affected parties, while parts of the deal which could be harmful for certain stake-holders are likely to be accepted under the threat of not rejecting the whole agreement.

We, members of the European Parliament, have never been asked if we wanted to allow the executive branch to negotiate without regard to our position. Our voice and the voices of those we represent are ignored. On the other hand, you, the members of Congress of the United States, have the opportunity to preserve that constitutional right, and we urge you to keep it.

Yours sincerely,

Lola Sánchez Caldentey, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Pablo Iglesias Turrión, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Estefania Torres Martínez, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Miguel Urban Crespo, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Tania González Peñas, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Anne-Marie Mineur, Member of the European Parliament, The Netherlands;

Curzio Maltese, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Daniela Aiuto, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Dario Tamburrano, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

David Borrelli, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Eleonora Evi, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Eleonora Forenza, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Ernest Urtasun, Member of the European Parliament, Catalonia;

Fabio de Masi, Member of the European Parliament, Germany;

Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Giulia Moi, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Ignazio Corrao, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Isabella Adinolfi, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Jordi Sebastia, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Josep-Maria Terricabras, Member of the European Parliament, Catalonia;

Josu Juatisti, Member of the European Parliament, Vasc Country;

Karima Delli, Member of the European Parliament, France;

Laura Agea, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Laura Ferrara, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Liadh Ni Riada, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland;

Luke Flanagan, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland;

Lynn Boylan, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland;

Marco Affronte, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Marco Valli, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Marco Zanni, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Marco Zullo, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Marina Albiol Guzman, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Marisa Matias, Member of the European Parliament, Portugal;

Martina Anderson, Member of the European Parliament, United Kingdom;

Mat Carthy, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland;

Merja Kyllönen, Member of the European Parliament, Finland;

Paloma Lopez Bermejo, Member of the European Parliament, Spain;

Patrick Le Hyaric, Member of the European Parliament, France;

Piernicola Pedicini, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Rosa D’Amato, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

Sabine Losing, Member of the European Parliament, Germany;

Tiziana Beghin, Member of the European Parliament, Italy;

See the whole letter here: Members of the European Parliament´s concerns on Fast Track Package (1)