Preparation of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations — transparency and stakeholder involvement
18.10.2013
Question for written answer E-011962-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Franziska Keller (Verts/ALE) , Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE) , Yannick Jadot (Verts/ALE)
Although the Commission has conducted a civil society dialogue meeting on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks, there remains a massive imbalance. A list has been released of 135 ‘meetings with stakeholders’ organised by the Commission, revealing that 119 of these meetings were with large corporations and their lobby groups, and only a handful with trade unions and consumer groups. Moreover, the meetings dealt with the EU’s preparations for the trade talks, whereas the official civil society consultation was merely an information session following the launch of the talks. Similarly, contributions to the EU’s online consultations came almost exclusively from companies and industry associations, as a result of a questionnaire focusing on these groups.
What concrete action will the Commission take to tackle this massive imbalance?
At the civil society dialogue held in July 2013, the Commission stated that a group of expert advisors may be set up. Will the Commission follow through with this suggestion?
What will be the specific role of such a group, and who should be part of it? In addition to business delegates, will it also include environmental, consumer and public health NGOs, trade unions and independent experts? If not, why not?
In the World Trade Organisation and at UN climate negotiations, the various parties concerned, including the EU, announce their negotiation positions. The Commission has begun publishing a number of its positions on trade negotiations. Why has the Commission not yet published the documents that it presented to the US in the first round of negotiations in Washington DC?
When will the Commission publish all of its negotiation positions, and its negotiating mandate? Will it publish the texts of the negotiations? If not, why not? For several years now, the UK Government has published a list of its meetings with lobbyists, updated quarterly. When does the Commission post lists on its website of all meetings held with lobbyists? If it does not publish such lists, why not?
OJ C 218, 10/07/2014