A WELSH VETO ON TTIP

The UK Westminster Government appears to be entirely set on pushing ahead with TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) regardless of any potential consequences for our public services. Devolution, even the flawed settlement we have, means our public services are devolved to Wales, the devolved government should be granted a veto in order to protect our NHS and other services from sweeping privatisation.

Public services should be in public hands and markets should be democratically accountable for their decisions. Public services such as our Welsh national health service should not be put at risk as a result of shadowy dealings that the UK Government is so desperate to sign up to. We need to ensure that our public services are protected from being plundered for profit by multi-nationals companies and that they remain democratically accountable.

The impending US-EU trade agreement aims to merge the EU's common market with that of the United States, but without any of the built in social and political safeguards, which are at least nominally supposed to exist within in the EU. The problem is that much of the negotiations have been conducted in secret.

Surely if there was nothing to hide then the discussions should be held in full public session and full texts of the proposals published as a matter of routine. For any trade deal to have wider public support, it must unquestionably drop any proposals for a shadow corporate legal system and ensure that the EU’s already existing environmental and social safeguards are maintained.

Any trade deal that does go ahead should definitely not be a large corporation closed shop in relation to trading across the Atlantic, as it most definitely appears at the moment. 99% of Welsh companies are SMEs, they make up the backbone of the Welsh economy - and they deserve as much of a look in with any trade deal as the big companies.

The agreement is highly controversial, the TTIP agreement risks opening up more areas of public services (including within the NHS) to private competition (something which suits the privatisation agenda of most of the Westminster based political parties), particularly those services where there is already non-government provision such as with social care.

The reality is that a strong and very productive trading relationship already exists between the EU and US. And this is a good thing. What the TTIP agreement as it is proposed will do, is give corporations unprecedented power over our public services and seriously threaten democratic decisions in the pursuit of company profit.

By discussing these issues in secret, negotiators from both sides are doing deals behind closed doors, which do not have public support and will remain largely un-discussed and un-scrutinised. We need a full honest and open debate about what TTIP should include, based on what is best for people, not multi-national companies and American trade and our own Welsh government should be standing up for our national interests.

After the financial crisis of 2007/08 and the resultant bail out of the private sector it might have been hoped that the pendulum might have swung in favour of democracy to rebalance flawed corporate power. That said, it is apparent that the Westminster based political parties don’t think so hence their relative silence on the implications of TTIP on our public services.

We need a much more democratic economy, driven and shaped by the needs of the people it serves. The TTIP agreement threatens this basic principle and as is should be rejected. The complete lack of transparency is disturbing particularly as much of the negotiation have ominously been conducted behind closed doors and little has been divulged in terms of the exact content and the level of the risk to our public services.

In its current form TTIP means that Europe will be subject to American-style 'light touch' regulation for corporate take-overs and practices. It threatens to open up our public services to the possibility of aggressive private take-overs. More disturbingly the profits of corporations will be 'future proofed’ so that any changes to laws or regulations by democratically elected governments will be open to corporate challenge.

As if bailing the banks out with public money was not bad enough, this means that all of us taxpayers may end up having to pay to make up for the potential loss of projected corporate profits. That loss of democratic accountability over our public services may well also mean that future decisions will not be subject to review by our own judiciary, but instead referred to private, corporate, closed-door courts.

STANDING FIRM ON TTIP

On Europe Day (May 5th) Plaid Cymru’s leader Leanne Wood has warned that the controversial US-EU TTIP agreement risks opening up more areas of Wales’ public services to private competition. Leanne Wood said that the agreement could have a very detrimental impact on the good trade relationship between the EU and US.

The Party of Wales leader Leanne Wood said:

“The controversial TTIP agreement poses risks to us in Wales because it pledges to ‘future-proof’ the profits of corporations from government decisions. There is a particular threat to services where there is already non-government provision such as the care sector.

“Plaid Cymru wants to protect our public services, and opposing this TTIP clause that could cost millions of pounds for the Welsh Government in future is fundamental part of this. Unless we oppose these changes, the NHS and other key public services may find themselves at the mercy of greater interference from private multinationals.

“European trade agreements are important for Wales’ economy, and Plaid Cymru will work to boost trade and investment. But Plaid Cymru will always work to protect and invest in our public services.”

The Party of Wales’ Jill Evans MEP said:

“There are significant concerns in Wales that the trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the USA (TTIP) poses a real threat to public services. While European trade agreements are extremely important for Wales’ economy, Plaid Cymru will work to boost trade and investment, we have called for the talks to be suspended and for the impact on Wales to be assessed.

“The TTIP agreement poses a threat to the NHS and other key public services which may find themselves at the mercy of greater interference from private multinationals if the agreement remains as it is. Plaid Cymru will always work to protect and invest in our public services and we have therefore called for health services to be explicitly excluded from any trade agreement.”

A TROJAN HORSE OF A TREATY!

TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) the impending US-EU trade agreement marks the merging of the EU's common market with that of the United States, but without any of the built in social and political safeguards, which are at least nominally supposed to exist within in the EU. 

The agreement is highly controversial, the TTIP agreement risks opening up more areas of public services (including within the NHS) to private competition (something which suits the privatisation agenda of most of the Westminster based political parties), particularly those services where there is already non-government provision such as with social care.

The reality is that a strong and very productive trading relationship already exists between the EU and US. What the TTIP agreement as it is proposed will do, is give corporations unprecedented power over our public services and seriously threaten democratic decisions in the pursuit of company profit.

By discussing these issues in secret, negotiators from both sides are doing deals behind closed doors, which do not have public support and will remain largely un-discussed and un-scrutinised. We need a full honest and open debate about what TTIP should include, based on what is best for people, not multi-national companies and American trade and our own Welsh government should be standing up for our national interests.

After the financial crisis of 2007/08 and the resultant bail out of the private sector it might have been hoped that the pendulum might have swung in favour of democracy to rebalance flawed corporate power. That said, it is apparent that the Westminster based political parties don’t think so hence their relative silence on the implications of TTIP on our public services.

We need a much more democratic economy, driven and shaped by the needs of the people it serves. The TTIP agreement threatens this basic principle and as is should be rejected. The complete lack of transparency is disturbing particularly as much of the negotiation have ominously been conducted behind closed doors and little has been divulged in terms of the exact content and the level of the risk to our public services.

In its current form TTIP means that Europe will be subject to American-style 'light touch' regulation for corporate take-overs and practices. It threatens to open up our public services to the possibility of aggressive private take-overs. More disturbingly the profits of corporations will be 'future proofed’ so that any changes to laws or regulations by democratically elected governments will be open to corporate challenge.

As if bailing the banks out with public money was not bad enough, this means that all of us tax-payers may end up having to pay to make up for the potential loss of projected corporate profits. That loss of democratic accountability over our public services may well also mean that future decisions will not be subject to review by our own judiciary, but instead referred to private, corporate, closed-door courts.

Plaid believes that public services should be in public hands and that markets should be democratically accountable for their decisions and continues to oppose this latest attempt to sell-off and sell-out our future. We need to ensure that our public services are protected from being plundered for profit by multi-nationals companies and that they remain democratically accountable.

SAVE OUR NHS FROM EU-US TRADE DEAL

Plaid Cymru has called for the UK Westminster Government to explicitly exempt the NHS from US private buy-outs, which the questionably beneficial new free trade deal between the EU and US could enable. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (or TTIP) which is aimed at opening up the EU market to the US and vice-versa. Some Member States have already ensured exemptions; from initial negotiations e.g. France has protected its film industry from the free trade deal.

Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Minister for Health Elin Jones, after meetings with EU officials in Brussels last week said:

"Negotiations relating to this US trade deal must ensure the NHS is protected from potential private interference. The NHS is a treasure and is rooted in social considerations. As such, it should not be subject to the principles of a free market. There is no place for profiteering in our health service.

"The French have ensured protection for an important aspect of their public life and the UK government must do the same for the NHS. If Westminster refuses to do so, it would be reasonable to suspect that this is part of their wider privatisation agenda that we see in England. We should be very concerned that the financial implications of this would have huge consequences for Wales and could threaten the way health services are delivered.

Plaid Cymru’s Jill Evans MEP added:

"EU governments, including the UK, of course, gave the European Commission the power to negotiate this trade deal with the USA on our behalf. But even the European Parliament hasn't seen the negotiating mandate. Discussions are all taking place behind closed doors. We know that the TTIP as it stands, contains the Investor State Dispute Resolution or ISDS, a provision that allows private companies to sue governments if their profits are affected by actual or even proposed legislation. Because of widespread objection, the Commission has held a consultation on this and I very much hope the Welsh Government has responded on our behalf.

"We must ensure that the NHS is exempt from the TTIP in the interests of all the people of Wales and the Welsh Government is seriously failing in its duty if it has not called for this.

While most people have probably never heard of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (or TTIP) – an agreement between the EU and the USA, which is being promoted as the biggest ever free trade agreement. The devil may well lie in the detail, as the TTIP, if it is agreed, contains a number of highly controversial proposals which could seriously undermine workers’ rights, affect agriculture, weaken food hygiene, lower quality standards and affect digital privacy laws.

International trade is an important component part of our economy and if we want to a strong and vibrant Welsh economy then exports of quality Welsh products around the world will play their part. TTIP, however, won’t help us much because in its current form it is little more than a charter for multinational corporations to make more money at everyone else’s expense. The problem is that the plans for a free trade zone between the EU and the USA are based on cutting costs, something that will be achieved by lowering quality standards and rolling back hard earned workers’ employment rights.

Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans, has noted that probably the section of the agreement that should seriously worry most people are the plans for ‘Investor state dispute settlement’ which would allow foreign (basically US) companies to take governments to court if they act in a way that could reduce investors’ profits. Understandably a whole variety of concerned groups including Friends of the Earth Europe have warned that this clause in particular could be invoked by US companies if European governments introduce legislation to improve workers’ rights, including pay, or to improve health or environmental legislation.

The impact could be far reaching, for example, if at some point a future Welsh Government improved workers’ rights by securing a living wage or ending zero hours contracts or if they enacted strong environmental legislation to combat climate change - then they could be liable to be sued by multinational companies. Already the free-trade agreement in North America, NAFTA, lead to legal threats to Canada because of a moratorium on fracking in Quebec. It is unacceptable for democratic governments to end up in a position where multi-national companies can take them to court when they have acted in the best interests of their own people, rather than simply acting as agents to assist corporate profits to be ramped up to the max.

What perhaps is most disturbing, aside from the fact that, not untypically, that most the discussions and negotiations have been carried out behind closed doors, when what’s needed is an honest and open debate about what TTIP should include, based on what is best for people, not just for multi-national companies and US trade. We should all be concerned that US senators have already begun to call for an end to European specialist product definitions which act a mark of quality, in Wales they include Welsh beef and lamb, as well as Pembrokeshire Early potatoes and Halen Mon.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL...

Most people have probably never heard of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (or TTIP) – an agreement between the EU and the USA, which is being promoted as the biggest ever free trade agreement. The devil may well lie in the detail, as the TTIP, if it is agreed, contains a number of highly controversial proposals which could seriously undermine workers’ rights, affect agriculture, weaken food hygiene, lower quality standards and affect digital privacy laws.

Now international trade is a vital component of our economy and if we want to a strong and vibrant Welsh economy then exports quality Welsh products around the world will play their part. The proposed TTIP, however, won’t help because in its current form it is little more than a charter for multinational corporations to make more money. The problem is that the plans (such as they are) for a free trade zone between the EU and the USA are based on cutting costs, something that will be achieved by lowering quality standards and rolling back hard earned workers’ employment rights.

As noted by Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans, probably the section of the agreement that should concern most people are the plans for ‘Investor state dispute settlement’ which would basically would allow foreign (basically US) companies to take governments to court if they act in a way that could reduce investors’ profits. A whole variety of groups including Friends of the Earth Europe have warned that this clause in particular could be invoked by US companies if European governments introduce legislation to improve workers’ rights, including pay, or to improve health or environmental legislation.

On a very basic level this could mean that if at some point a future Welsh Government improved workers’ rights by securing a living wage or ending zero hours contracts or if they enacted strong environmental legislation to combat climate change - then they could be liable to be sued by multinational companies. Already the free-trade agreement in North America, NAFTA, lead to legal threats to Canada because of a moratorium on fracking in Quebec. It has to be unacceptable for democratic governments to end up in a position where multi-national companies can take them to court when they have acted in the best interests of their people, rather than simply acting to enable corporate profits to be ramped up.

Disturbingly, aside from the fact that, not untypically, most the discussions and negotiations have been carried out behind closed doors, when what’s needed is an honest and open debate about what TTIP should include, based on what is best for people, not just for multi-national companies and US trade. We should be concerned that there have already been calls from US senators for an end to European specialist product definitions which act a mark of quality, in Wales they include Welsh beef and lamb, as well as Pembrokeshire Early potatoes and Halen Mon.