Press release from Corporate Europe Observatory | read press release online
[1]
PRESS RELEASE FROM
CORPORATE EUROPE OBSERVATORY
TTIP PILLAR ALREADY BEING USED TO TORPEDO PUBLIC INTEREST LAWS AND
DEMOCRACY
Regulatory cooperation under the proposed EU-US trade deal (TTIP) will
strengthen corporate lobbyists' hand in attacking public interest
legislation and curb the power of elected politicians according to a report
released today.
"Dangerous Regulatory Duet: How transatlantic regulatory cooperation under
TTIP will allow bureaucrats and big business to attack the public interest
[2]" by Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl challenges European
Commission claims that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
(TTIP) currently under negotiation will not result in lower standards and
highlights examples that show how regulatory cooperation has already put
corporations in the policymaking driving seat and undermined democratic
decision-making.
TTIP's regulatory cooperation chapter seeks to align existing and future EU
and US standards, restricting the ability of elected representatives to
introduce measures and standards in the public interest.
>From curbing environmental protection rules, to helping financial
conglomerates escape scrutiny; from sidestepping data privacy legislation,
to delaying rules on animal testing, the case studies in the report show
that lobbyists have made much use of regulatory cooperation to subvert
public interest law-making and advance a transatlantic corporate agenda.
The examples highlighted to demonstrate how regulatory cooperation has
already facilitated big business priorities over the public interest are:
*
The scaling back of EU ambition on dealing with dangerous waste from
electronics;
*
Insurance giant AIG escaping supervision in the lead up to the financial
crash;
*
US companies escaping accountability under the Safe Harbour agreement and
sidestepping data protection rules;
*
Delayed legislation on animal testing, ozone depleting substances and
aviation emissions.
Kenneth Haar, Corporate Europe Observatory:
"Regulatory cooperation is set to be at the heart of TTIP and will
reinforce the means to roll back past and future achievements in
environmental policies, consumers' and workers' rights. As the US Chamber
of Commerce said, regulatory cooperation is "a gift that keeps on giving
[3]" but only to big business. This toolbox for corporate lobbyists is a
direct threat to democratic principles and our environmental and social
protections."
Max Bank, LobbyControl:
"From the very beginning of transatlantic regulatory cooperation in 1995,
the EU and the US have been hell-bent on including big business in decision
making and ensuring policy reflects the priorities of corporate lobbyists.
Given the evidence collected so far, it's clear that it facilitates big
business exerting its influence often before a proposal is even presented
to parliaments. The same corporate lobbyists who pushed for this are now
leading efforts to enshrine such procedures into the policymaking rulebook
via TTIP and thus endanger democracy."
Lora Verheecke, Corporate Europe Observatory:
"While the EU and US authorities attempt to sell this as a technicality,
we're seeing regulatory cooperation become an increasingly controversial
issue in the public debate around TTIP. Concerns about this tool's ability
to drive down standards are well founded and are thus beginning to
circulate widely. The solution is clear: this corporate agenda must be
stopped with the scrapping of TTIP a much-needed first step."
The report can be read here:
http://corporateeurope.org/international-trade/2016/01/dangerous-regulatory-duet
[2]
Contact:
Kenneth Haar kenn...@corporateeurope.org +4532955576
Max Bank m.b...@lobbycontrol.de +492219957150
Lora Verheecke l...@corporateeurope.org +32486310034
18 January 2016
me...@corporateeurope.org
tel: + 32 2893 0930
Corporate Europe Observatory
Rue d'Edimbourg 26
Brussels Belgium
www.corporateeurope.org [4]@corporateeurope [5] - facebook [6]
CORPORATE EUROPE OBSERVATORY (CEO) CHALLENGES THE INFLUENCE OF BIG BUSINESS
AND BUSINESS LOBBY GROUPS IN EU POLICY MAKING.
Corporate Europe Observatory
Rue d'Edimbourg 26, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 893 0930, e-mail: c...@corporateeurope.org
http://www.corporateeurope.org [7]
Not interested anymore? Click here [8] or send an e-mail
Links:
------
[1] http://media.corporateeurope.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=254
[2]
http://corporateeurope.org/international-trade/2016/01/dangerous-regulatory-duet
[3]
http://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving.pdf
[4] http://www.corporateeurope.org
[5] https://twitter.com/corporateeurope
[6] https://www.facebook.com/CorporateEuropeObservatory
[7] http://www.corporateeurope.org/
[8]
http://media.corporateeurope.org/civicrm/mailing/optout?reset=1&jid=1088&qid=100098&h=08bc1fc37c493ec0
_______________________________________________
Pressemeldungen mailing list
Pressemeldungen@lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/pressemeldungen
