We expect from our elected representatives at all levels and all opinions they require without delay that the CETA treaty with Canada already completed (but not adopted by the European Parliament) and the TTIP treaty in negotiation with the United States should be endorsed only if and when they have been fully aligned with the principles expressed in the draft Communication on "A new strategy for trade and investment" proposed by the European Commission, in particular in its paragraphs 3 and 4.

Indeed, while it is essential to emphasize that this is only a project of legally non-binding "Communication Â» , nothing indicates that the treaties currently being negotiated will be fully consistent with these fine principles. Although this draft Communication is an early recognition of critics expressed by the civil society, being only the beginning of a long process, the risk is great that "irreversible" treaties and their consequences are signed before its rigorous enforcement.

That said, important demands of civil society have been "forgotten" or neglected in this Communication, such as putting in place a systematic system of democratic control, including parliamentary, for regulatory cooperation and a new International Court System (ICS). Nothing has been formalized as to ex ante control by private experts of the legislative harmonization process of transatlantic regulations or that of world trade rules that the Commission intends in the future to abandon the WTO.

This Communication goes further:

1) As recognized by the Commission itself, this proposal is intended to be a direct response to the intense current debate on the transatlantic treaty (TTIP) in response to concerns expressed either directly or indirectly by EU citizens: petitions, events, positions of multiple organizations;

2) The Commission states that "it will assess how to implement it in the current legislation" and that some actions - such as those on transparency – could be applied immediately, the others being at this stage only proposals subject to further consultation and decision-making procedures;

Accordingly, our representatives of all opinions and all levels (Municipalities, Regions, States, European Parliament) should require at least:

1) the removal of the current mandate given by Member States to the Commission to negotiate treaties and TTIP and CETA;

2) to postpone sine die the adoption of the CETA treaty in its present form because the CETA being already "completed", it cannot be aligned with the non-binding good intentions of the Communication;

3) that a new mandate is given to the Commission for the implementation, prior to any agreement on any transatlantic treaty, of a system of democratic control and debate regarding regulatory processes and the new International Court System (ICS) envisaged in the Communication on "Trade for All".

It is in this context that the establishment of a real societal debate at each of all levels of authorities concerned by this Communication has to be organised without delay.

La Maison du Peuple d'Europe - november 2015

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