The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament have been calling for more transparency in trade negotiations with third partners for years. This is why today they welcomed the decision by the Commission and the Council of the EU to make the negotiation mandate for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnerships (TTIP) with the United States publicly available to citizens.
The S&D spokesperson on international trade, MEP David Martin, said:
"This is not before time and not without significance.
"The Council has finally lifted the lid on its priorities for TTIP and can now be held to account.
"We can only get a good, balanced deal if all sides are transparent about their positions.
"Socialist and Democrat MEPs have been clear we want ISDS (the investor-state dispute system) removed from the treaty and EU public services and standards to be protected.
"It is now time for national governments to explain the contents of the mandate which they unanimously approved."
The chairman of the international trade committee in the European Parliament, S&D MEP Bernd Lange, said:
"We need a broad, fact-based public debate on TTIP in Europe to explore the real opportunities and concerns surrounding the agreement. We have said for a long time that the publication of the negotiating mandate is fundamental for such a debate to take place. I therefore welcome the decision of the Council, which S&D MEPs have long been calling for. It is better late than never."
The full mandate is available here.
