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Bundestag must stop CETA ratification – Attac Germany

The traffic light coalition wants to start ratifying CETA before the summer break. The first reading is scheduled for Thursday in the Bundestag. The ratification of the free trade and investment agreement between the EU and Canada is planned for autumn. The globalization-critical network Attac is calling on MPs not to ratify CETA in order to prevent international corporations from having extensive special rights of action and to counteract the disempowerment of parliaments.

“Only stopping ratification can prevent parallel justice for corporations. The promise made by the traffic light coalition to limit investment protection more is purely symbolic. A renegotiation of the agreement is no longer possible,” says Attac trade expert Hanni Gramann, member of the nationwide Attac Council.

All corporations with branches in Canada or the EU could sue states

In fact, upon ratification, the CETA chapter on the protection of foreign investments would come into force. Instead of the long-planned arbitral tribunals (ISDS), this provides for a formally improved "investment court system" (ICS). But an ICS also means parallel justice outside of national law. CETA would empower all global corporations with branches in Canada or the EU to intervene in state legislation on environmental or social issues with expensive investment protection lawsuits.

CETA contradicts Paris climate agreement and protects fossil fuels

Although CETA was only signed after the Paris Climate Agreement came into force, it does not contain any binding rules on climate protection. The same applies to other sustainability goals. In contrast, duty-free trade in fossil energies such as Canadian tar sand oil, which is highly harmful to the climate, or liquefied natural gas (LNG) is protected. "The traffic light declares that it wants to anchor international sustainability standards in all future trade agreements with sanctions. At the same time, she is pushing ahead with the ratification of CETA. That's nonsensical," asserts Isolde Albrecht from the Attac working group "World Trade and WTO".

disempowerment of parliaments  

According to Attac, CETA also leads to a disempowerment of the parliaments: The Joint CETA Committee and its subcommittees are authorized to make decisions that are binding under international law without involving the parliaments of the EU states or the EU Parliament

Traffic light gives civil society only one day to comment

The traffic light also makes the ratification process less democratic. Hanni Gramann: “The federal government did not even give civil society one day to comment on the draft law. This is mirror fencing.”
CETA was provisionally put into effect in parts in 2017. It will come into full effect once it has been ratified by all EU countries, Canada and the EU. The approval from twelve countries, including Germany, is still missing.

Further information:www.attec.de/ceta

Appointment note: The theme of trade also plays at the one organized by Attac European Summer University of Social Movements from August 17th to 21st in Mönchengladbach. On August 18, for example, Lucia Barcena from the Transnational Institute (TNI) in the Netherlands, Argentinian Luciana Ghiotto from América Latina Mejor Sin TLC and Nick Dearden from Global Justice Now discuss in the forum “How trade and investment deals are locking in corporate power and the climate crisis”.

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