Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 7 July 2015 - Strasbourg

Negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) (debate)

  Alyn Smith (Verts/ALE), in writing. – The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is more than a traditional trade deal and the current negotiating position that MEPs have access to is not a text I could support. Commerce and democracy are not mutually exclusive, nor should they ever be traded against each other. This opinion must send a clear statement to the Commission that this is the case or it serves no purpose. The Commission must understand that the fear of lowering standards through regulatory harmonisation expressed by citizens from across Europe is not irrational and must be addressed. The proposal to create a separate legal mechanism to protect investors is completely unacceptable. As a lawyer I am deeply worried by this because companies can and will take advantage of any avenues that are open to them. That the Scottish Government is currently before the European Court of Justice defending its policies against the challenge of the Scotch Whisky Association shows that investors already have numerous avenues to defend themselves. The SNP could support TTIP but only if it creates trade without compromising European standards, the Scottish NHS or the democratic accountability of the Scottish Parliament.