Mass mobilisation by people across the EU has made TTIP as good as dead. But another corporate-backed trade deal is about to get its approval from EU member states -- and it is just as dangerous: CETA.
Where TTIP handed U.S. corporations the power to sue EU countries over regulations they don’t like, CETA does the same for Canadian corporations. It also opens the door for U.S. companies with Canadian subsidiaries to sue over expected profits -- making CETA essentially TTIP through the back door.
But we can stop CETA. When EU member states vote on CETA October 18, all it takes is one “No” vote to derail the whole deal. Austrian Chancellor Kern has already expressed concerns that CETA will “shift the power balance in favor of global enterprises.” That means we have the chance to make Kern a spokesperson for the concerns of citizens across the EU.
Tell Austrian Chancellor Kern you share his concerns with CETA and ask him to vote against the proposal on October 18.
In September, more than 340,000 people filled the streets of cities in Germany and Austria to denounce trade deals like TTIP and CETA.The massive protests sent a clear message to EU leaders: Europeans won’t stand for backdoor trade deals that hand the power to dictate policy to corporations.
We can’t let the EU Commission paint Austria as a lone critic of CETA when millions of Europeans share Chancellor Kern’s critique of trade deals that prioritise corporate profit over democracy, workers' rights, consumer protection, and the planet.
We’re on the cusp of victory against TTIP, and if anything can stop CETA, it’s drawing on the European-wide movement we’ve built together to take on corporate trade deals.
People on the ground in Austria have been busy fighting CETA -- and SumOfUs members are lending our support by signing petitions and emailing Austrian ministers to stop this deal. Now, we are joining with a powerful coalition of groups from all over Europe to push the Austrian Chancellor to block the deal once and for all.
Let’s make sure Chancellor Kern knows we’re counting on him to represent the voices of millions of Europeans who want to stop CETA in its tracks!
In partnership with:
More information
Reuters. 1 September 2016.
Ars Technica. 26 September 2016.