Labour's MEPs today welcomed the publication by the European Commission and European Council to publish the negotiation mandate for the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
David Martin MEP, Labour MEP for Scotland and Socialists and Democrats Group spokesperson on international trade, said:
"This is not before time and not without significance. The Council has finally lifted the lid on its priorities for TTIP and can now be held to account. We can only get a good, balanced deal if all sides are transparent about their positions.
"Labour MEPs have been clear we want ISDS (the investor-state dispute system) removed from the treaty and EU public services and standards to be protected. It is now time for national governments to explain the contents of the mandate which they unanimously approved."
Jude Kirton-Darling MEP, Labour MEP for North East England and Labour's European spokesperson on TTIP, added:
"We have been calling for more transparency in trade negotiations with third countries for years - the decision to make the negotiation mandate publicly available to citizens is long overdue.
"Labour MEPs will continue working to ensure public services including the NHS, social sevices and education are excluded from trade agreements like TTIP, and we will also work hard to make sure there is more transparency in the process."
ENDS
For further information, please contact Shamik Das on 0044 7920 441362 or 0032 479 790053.
www.eurolabour.org.uk • @EuroLabour
Notes to Editors
1. The full mandate is available here: http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-11103-2013-DCL-1/en/pdf
