Obama's Plan to Ink TTIP Deal May Fall Through Over Leaked Greenpeace Docs

Marias, an independent member of the European Parliament, said that the secret TTIP documents recently made public by Greenpeace had substantiated the criticism of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership trade agreement between the US and the European Union expressed by some members of the European Parliament.

“After Greenpeace shed light on the secret TTIP documents people realized what TTIP is really all about, that it will destroy European agriculture, will bring in genetically modified plants, will let US multinationals rule supreme in Europe by shutting down local enterprises,” Notis Marias said.

He added that the proposed deal ignored the people’s labor rights, threatened the environment and allowed multinational corporations to go to court and demand material compensation from member —states.

“We (MEPs) said all these things before and people have now seen these secret documents and are protesting. We have seen such protests before, but not on the scale we can see now. More and more people are actively coming out against [TTIP] in Greece, France and Germany,” Marias said, adding that he expected the TTIP talks to grind to a halt ahead on the upcoming elections in France and Germany.

Notis Marias said that he was sure that Barack Obama’s plans to wrap up the TTIP talks while he is still President were bound to fall flat.

“We are optimistic about our ability to organize a major movement against TTIP and prevent it happening. I believe that proponents of this deal will find it very hard pushing it through, at least before the French and German elections are over. This will give our STOP TTIP campaign time to better organize and make sure the deal is never signed,” he emphasized.

The TTIP trade deal aims to deregulate trade between the United States and the European Union, which together comprise 60 percent of global production.

The secretive deal has sparked widespread concern that it will lower environmental, health, safety, and workers’ rights standards, as well as enable the extra-judicial settlement of disputes in circumvention of national sovereignty.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160523/1040084499/mep-obama-ttip.html/
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May 16, 2016

TTIP treaty may be delayed for months or even years if the deal is not finalized under the Obama's administration.

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160516/1039718783/ttip-may-be-years-delayed.html/

another one of his 'Legacies' going sour?

From a Canadian point of view, I certainly hope the TPP and TTIP deals fall through. These deals will make it much easier for companies to move off shore and set up business. Companies are only out to protect their share holders... they have no allegiance to a nation...

Yes! The TPP is designed to destroy the economy of any country that signs it! Oh baby, this is good news! The world is saved!

Is it too soon for a dancing banana?

Hell.. I will do it anyway

Companies have an obligation to their share holders that own a piece of the company to make money on their investment. That includes union pension fund members, people with 410K's and personal IRA accounts, it's not just wealthy people who are share holders.

The reasons most companies move offshore is because of the rules, regulation and taxes imposed by a government. When a government make it impossible for companies to meet their primary obligation, the most profit possible, they act accordingly.

Governments have an obligation to create environment that attracts companies that in turn create jobs, an environment that incentivizes it's citizens to start new companies with manufacturing in the same country where they startup and stay there. When it becomes too onerous due to government regulations businesses don't just stop being created, existing businesses start closing. Until recently there has never been a year in which more businesses closed than were started in the United States.....it's a telling sign of what may become the "new normal" in the "new economy".

Unfortunately too many politicians are dogmatically committed to an ideology instead of being committed to pragmatic solutions.