Free trade fears
Interview mit Fabio De Masi beim Internetportal von Horizion2020 (EU-Forschungs-Förderprogramm)
As progressive MEPs continue to campaign against TTIP and CETA, MEP Fabio De Masi speaks to Portal to outline opposition to the trade deals.
„Controversy around the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) deals continues to grow, with progressive members of the European Parliament expressing their opposition to these transatlantic free trade agreements. Questions over Europe accepting the TTIP agreement also remain, although MEP focus is now on the ratification of the CETA agreement.
One such MEP, Fabio De Masi, a member of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) European Parliamentary Group is steadfast in his opposition of the deals that the European Commission, alongside the US and Canadian governments, continues to back. On 6 September, a meeting of the Progressive Caucasus in the parliament saw MEPs from the Progressive Alliance of Socialist and Democrats (S&D), GUE/NGL and the Greens/EFA groupings gather to focus on issues around TTIP and CETA, together with a number of external speakers.
As one of the MEPs present, De Masi, alongside other parliamentarians, emphasised his continuing opposition to TTIP and CETA, warning that the economic case for the deals is weak, and – perhaps more importantly – of the potential corrosive impact the agreements could have on democracy on both sides of the Atlantic. Sitting down with Portal, he answered a range of questions on the developments around free trade today, and whether it is the answer for the economic challenges that Europe faces.
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The full text article is to be found on the Horizon2020-website.