Greens on both sides of the Atlantic (1) have welcomed the collapse of the proposed EU-Canada trade deal, which they have long argued hands power to corporations and undermines small businesses and democratic rights.
Canada's international trade minister walked out of talks aimed at keeping the deal alive on Friday (October 21), labelling the situation "impossible" after the proposals were blocked by Wallonia, a regional administration in Belgium.
Along with her 49 Greens-EFA colleagues, Molly Scott Cato, Green member of the European Parliament and speaker on European Affairs, is resisting attempts by Parliament President Martin Schulz to rescue the trade deal and preparing to vote against it in December.
Dr Scott Cato, said:
"The members of the Parliament of Wallonia have done what we might expect all our parliamentarians to do: stand up for the best interests of the citizens they represent. They have blocked a deal that would serve the corporations who have been lobbying so hard for it, while putting our public services and environment at risk. Setting up parallel courts for the exclusive benefit of multinational investors (ICS) has no place in an international trade agreement.
"We should resist the siren song of the Brexiteers who are using the collapse of this deal to insult both the EU and the people of Wallonia. The reality is that as our trade with EU Partners is threatened by the hard Brexit that looks increasingly likely, our politicians are desperate to sign us up to even more dodgy trade deals that threaten our democratic rights, our public services, and environmental standards.
“The EU-wide civic opposition to CETA has paid off and I congratulate the many thousands of people across Europe and Canada who fought to maintain their democratic rights."
1) Canada: https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-release/2016-10-21/ceta-negotiations-grind-halt-good-reason
EU: greens-efa.eu/ceta-16127.html