site.btaSocialists Call on State Institutions to Not Support Draft EU-US Trade, Investment Partnership Agreement

Socialists Call on State Institutions to Not Support Draft EU-US Trade, Investment Partnership Agreement


Sofia, November 11 (BTA) - The draft Transatlantic Trade and
Investment
Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the EU and the USA is
unacceptable and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) calls on
the representatives of the Bulgarian State institutions to not
support it, request full information from the European
Commission on the negotiations' progress and defend effectively
the interests of Bulgaria and its citizens, reads a position of
the BSP National Council circulated Tuesday.

According to the BSP, the mandate for negotiations on the TTIP
was not made public and only the strong public pressure led to
its declassification by the European Commission and the
publication of the negotiating directives.

The information available at present has caused strong reactions
and a reasonable concern that the TTIP can lead to lower labour
and environmental standards, higher unemployment rate, stronger
influence of corporations to the detriment of the
democratically elected government, and no opportunity for States
to conduct their own social and environmental policy, the
Socialists' position reads.

The BSP insists that the EU-US negotiations no longer be held
behind closed doors and be conducted under the democratic
control and directions of the Member States. The TTIP should
guarantee the protection of human and social rights, just
working conditions, environmental standards, corporate social
responsibility and fair trade.

The BSP is against the negotiations on the TTIP being on topics
concerning the use of technologies for prospecting and
extracting shale gas, the lowering of existing sanitary and
phytosanitary measures and standards, including for genetically
modified organisms, as well as the protection of personal data.
The Socialists oppose the inclusion in the TTIP of a special
mechanism for settling investor-State disputes.

The BSP National Council will create an expert group for
analysis and assessment of the TTIP's effect on certain economic
sectors and public life spheres in Bulgaria, and will initiate
a national debate with the participation of all interested
parties.

During a discussion on Monday, Georgi Pirinski MEP of the Group
of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and
Deputy Prime Minister Ivailo Kalfin called for utmost
transparency about the planned TTIP.