Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, is welcoming the news that Belgium will not sign the controversial EU-Canada trade deal.
Keith, who sits on the European Parliament's Environment Committee and is a staunch opponent of CETA and it's well-known cousin TTIP, said:
"This is a victory for people power and a reminder that democracy is alive and well in the EU. Those plucky Walloons are showing the spirit of Asterix and the Gauls - maybe they'll share their magic potion with the British government. The UK had planned to ignore the voice of its citizens and even bypass parliamentary scrutiny to seal the deal. Greens will continue standing with citizens across Europe until this toxic deal is defeated once and for all.
"CETA is a bad deal for the people of Britain, Europe, and even Canada, but a great deal for multinational corporations keen to escape the democratic oversight of national parliaments. It is little wonder that citizens across Europe and in North America are the loudest and more determined opponents of this toxic trade deal.
"The deal, and particularly the ‘Investment Court System’ clause within it, poses a fundamental democratic question: do we want national parliaments to retain the power to legislate on behalf of their citizens or do we want to surrender that power to help boost the profit margins of multinational corporations?
"The answer from citizens demonstrating against CETA at the European Parliament last week was clear; ‘We ordinary people should not be the slaves of puppet governments that work for the benefit of the multinational.’
"It is doubly concerning that Theresa May and her Ministers are still vehemently supporting the deal and pushing for it to be signed before Britain leaves the European Union. It signals a desire to ensure Britain remains bound by the deal even after departing from the EU. It also sets a worrying precedent for the kinds of toxic trade deals desperate Ministers will sign once the UK is outside of the EU.”