Brussels, 13/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - The ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation) has warned that European voters would not look kindly upon any agreement that does not give priority to employment.
With the European elections approaching, ETUC General Secretary Bernadette Ségol has warned EU decision-makers of the need for transparency in free-trade negotiations, and has warned of the “secret trade giveaways” that the EU could make to its partners. Ségol also insists on the need for these trade negotiations to promote EU social, environmental and technical standards and to prioritise decent jobs. “Voters in the forthcoming European elections will be scrutinising EU trade arrangements, in particular the current negotiations with the United States, and will not overlook any deals that do not put European jobs and standards first”, she told the European Parliament's international trade committee on 13 February.
Hailing the decision of the European Commission to consult about the transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) negotiations on the protection of investments and about the arbitration of disputes between investor and state, Ségol insisted that a negative verdict by the public should be acted upon. She also called for other sensitive issues to be open to consultation and for the EU's negotiating objectives to be made public. Rejecting the protectionism that is supported by the extremes of the political spectrum as being “economically counter-productive and verging on xenophobia”, she stressed that Europe could compete with the best on the world stage while maintaining its standards. Lastly, Ségol insisted on the need for trade partners to observe internationally-accepted labour and environmental standards or else run the risk of incurring restrictive measures. (EH/transl.fl)