11 of 19 Brussels communes against TTIP trade pact

When negotiators from the US arrive in July for the latest round of talks with the EU on the creation of a new free trade agreement between the two economic blocs, they will be arriving in a European capital that is largely opposed to the deal.

This week the municipal council of Schaerbeek agreed to express its “concern” at the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which opponents argue is a threat to business in the EU, to the environment and to the democratic process. The TTIP, critics say, will give corporations the right to sue governments over democratic policies and lead to the privatisation of essential services.

The Brussels parliament last month resolved to investigate the consequences of the agreement for the capital. Among the region’s communes, 11 out of the 19 are strongly opposed, with Uccle due to vote on its motion soon. The 11 communes have declared TTIP-free zones, including Brussels-City, Ixelles, Saint-Gilles and Watermael-Boitsfort.

Watermael-Boitsfort, generally not the most radical of municipalities, has gone so far as to threaten an action before the European Court of Justice if the EU’s Council of Ministers approves the TTIP.

Negotiators from the two sides meet in week-long cycles, alternately in Brussels and in the US. The last meeting took place in New York in April; the next – the 10th round – will be in Brussels in July. Negotiations have been criticised on both sides of the Atlantic for their closed-door approach.

Photo: MEPs demonstrate in the European Parliament against TTIP

© Greensefa/Wikimedia