From Sumofus.org: The European Ombudsman -- the place where European citizens can lodge complaints about EU politics -- has opened a formal investigation into TTIP and its lack of transparency following pressure from civil society. We have only 7 days left to write to the Ombudsman and let her know how we feel about our rights being negotiated away in a secret trade deal. PLEASE email her at: [email protected] Copy of my letter below, for info: Dear Ombudsman, As a citizen of the UK and of the EU, I am very deeply concerned about my statutory rights to a fair and open hearing on matters that seriously affect my way of life being negotiated away behind closed doors, without my even being advised that this is going on - let alone being given any sort of voice in the matter. There is no doubt that TTIP and its sweeping concessions to major corporations WILL have dramatic - one might even say devastating - consequences for the lives of all in every country thats party to such a partnership. This is a partnership in name only, since MY rights are being given away in MY name without ME even being given a chance to say whether I agree to this. The EU MUST be 100% transparent on this issue and immediately release ALL information on negotiations that have so far taken place, and on an ongoing basis as those negotiations proceed - notably where they concern environmental issues, health issues, public health and safety and any other matters of this nature. The EU MUST make public ALL communications from and to lobbyists of big business - this is a given in such a situation, but sadly big business seems to have been given far more access to negotiations than the public whose rights are being negotiated away. This HAS to change. The EU MUST make public details of all meetings, past, present and future, between representatives of corporations and those making the laws. If any of these things are not done then any pretence that we live in a democracy is a total sham. The Occupy movement has shown the publics deep concern with the creeping erosion of the democratic process - who knows how ordinary decent people might react if they feel that major corporations have been given carte blanche to pollute, exploit and pillage their environment and threaten their fundamental safeguards - with a right to sue their government (i.e. them, as taxpayers) if they dare to object. I look forward to hearing that the mad, bad way of doing business that has characterised this process to date has been replaced by a protocol that puts the right to decide back where it belongs - in the hands of the millions of people whose lives could be dramatically affected by TTIP. Yours most sincerely, Dr Grahame Blackwell
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 10:35:12 +0000
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