PowerShift and Attac Austria welcome France's rejection of CETA agreement
Berlin, 21.03.2024: The non-governmental organizations PowerShift and Attac Austria welcome the rejection of the CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) between the European Union and Canada by the French Senate.
Alessa Hartmann, Trade and Investment Policy Officer at PowerShift: "France's rejection of CETA marks a significant moment in the debate over this controversial agreement. The Senate's decision sends a strong signal: Trade agreements must withstand critical scrutiny, especially if they contain mechanisms such as group rights. These potentially undermine democratic processes and the ability of states to act in the public interest. The rejection benefits all those who want to protect democratic transparency, environmental standards, food safety and agriculture in Europe."
Theresa Kofler, trade expert at Attac Austria: “The Senate’s rejection is the only logical consequence of the broad and long-standing critique of civil society, not only in France but throughout Europe. Now is the time to fundamentally question the group-driven EU trade policy and to reorient it in the interests of people and the environment. This is because the EU Commission is currently negotiating other problematic agreements on behalf of governments, including the EU-Mercosur agreement.”
Contacts:
- Alessa Hartmann, Trade and Investment Policy Officer at PowerShift, alessa.hartmann@power-shift.de, +49 (0)30 278 756 32
- Theresa Kofler, Trade Policy Expert at Attac Austria, theresa.kofler@attac.at
Background:
The debate on CETA is not limited to France, but concerns several EU Member States that have not yet ratified the agreement. Concerns range from the impact on food standards and agriculture to issues of environmental protection and transparency. In some countries, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, decisions are still pending or delayed by domestic manoeuvres. Germany ratified CETA at the end of 2022.
Despite the ratification of CETA by the European Parliament and the provisional application of some parts of the agreement, full implementation in some EU countries remains uncertain due to the concerns described above and the necessary consent of all EU Member States.
PowerShift is in a recently published study assess the climate impact of the CETA Agreement. It is based on a comprehensive methodology that analyses trade in climate-damaging goods, the climate policy arrangements of the agreement, the work of the committees and dialogues set up by CETA, and the impact of the investment provisions. Particular attention was paid to particularly climate-damaging goods, such as iron ore, crude oil, hard coal, soybeans and wood products.
The study identifies several critical areas where CETA has or threatens to have climate-damaging effects:
- Increase in trade in climate-damaging products: Since the entry into force of CETA, trade in products that accelerate climate change, such as iron ore, fossil fuels, and agricultural products that contribute to intensive animal husbandry, has increased.
- Lack of measures to mitigate climate risks: The agreement does not contain provisions that restrict trade in climate-damaging products or that bind the production of these products to more climate-friendly processes.
- Undermining environmental standards: The activities of the committees set up by CETA could soften existing environmental and climate legislation by mutually recognizing standards without prioritising climate protection.
- Lack of transparency and democratic participation: The protocols and decisions of the CETA committees are not publicly available, which complicates the monitoring and participation of civil society.
- Preventing stricter climate legislation: The investment court system within CETA gives investors the right to sue states if environmental decisions could affect their profits, which could act as a deterrent to the introduction of stricter climate protection measures.
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