Giving national parliaments a say on trade deals is ‘needed now more than ever’

Cecile Toubeau, better trade manager at T&E, which is a member of the Commission’s TTIP advisory group, said: “We are happy to see that the Commission is listening to citizens’ concerns by giving national parliaments a say on the deal. This is the first time since the UK referendum that the Commission has acted in order to regain public trust in its trade and investment policy. Europe needs a real ‘trade for all’ strategy that first and foremost benefits people and environment, and not multinationals.”

CETA remains controversial due to key elements included in the investment chapter. T&E and a number of organisations have criticised the Investment Court System (ICS), the shortcomings of which have inflamed the public debate for more than two years. National parliaments will now have the opportunity to evaluate the agreement, and reject it if it falls short in delivering benefits to their citizens.

Cecile Toubeau concluded: “With regards to the European Court of Justice ruling, we firmly believe the EU-Canada deal is a mixed agreement and that national parliaments’ scrutiny of it should begin without delay.”