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| In contrast to own promises* the EU is blocking the inclusion of new, sanctionable environmental and labor standards in the CETA trade agreement. This is from a recently published Minutes of the CETA Joint Committee with representatives from Canada and the EU. Accordingly, Canada would like to include sanctions against violations in the trade agreement: “However, Canada expressed disappointment at the EU's reluctance to apply its new TSD* approach to CETA enforceability (ie fines and/or sanctions for breaches of commitments). Canada called on the EU to reconsider its stance and find a way to make CETA's labor and environmental chapters enforceable. "For Attac, the minutes show that the EU talks a lot about labor and environmental protection in relation to its trade agreements, but does not follow up on its announcements with action. "What remains is an enormous discrepancy between the EU's climate goals and human rights obligations and what it actually supports with the agreement behind closed doors," criticizes Theresa Kofler from Attac Austria. Lip service also at EU-Mercosur This hypocrisy is also reflected in the EU-Mercosur agreement. "Similar to the CETA Committee, the EU is also boycotting real labor and climate protection in the EU-Mercosur Pact," explains Kofler. “The recently leaked addendum to the agreement only pays lip service to more sustainability, but does not change the problematic content. Ultimately, this agreement leads to even more trade in goods, which only works with the exploitation of natural resources, the deepening of economic and social inequalities and the destruction of our livelihoods. In the end, large transnational corporations benefit – at the expense of people and the climate.” Attac is therefore calling for a fundamental change of course in EU trade policy. In the future, this must not focus on corporate profits, but on people and the environment. As a first step, all current EU negotiations with the Mercosur countries, as well as with Chile and Mexico, must be officially put on hold and the ratification of CETA in the countries that are still pending must be stopped. |
| * The European Commission had in June 2022 presented a plan, which envisages making chapters on trade and sustainable development (TSD) in EU trade agreements more enforceable: “Enforcement measures will be strengthened, as will the Ability to sanction when key labor and climate commitments are not met.” |
Photo / Video: European Parliament.
