Protest action on the Reichstag meadow
Berlin, 07.07.2022: With a banner campaign, a broad social alliance has drawn attention to the first reading of the CETA ratification law of the traffic light coalition in the Bundestag.
After ratification at EU level, CETA has already been applied provisionally to a large extent since September 2017. Excluded from this are investment protection and arbitration tribunals. These parts will not enter into force until national parliaments have voted on ratification. In twelve Member States of the European Union, including the Federal Republic of Germany, ratification has not yet been completed.
Ludwig Essig, trade expert Environmental Institute Munich, Coordination Network of Fair World Trade: “All trade-related areas of the Agreement have been active for five years. The ratification would thus be a clear commitment to the private arbitral tribunals. Especially in times of energy and climate crisis, governments must remain able to act. Parallel justice with special rights for large investors stands in the way of climate protection, consumer protection and democracy.”
Margot Rieger, Local Free Trade Critical Alliances and Initiatives: “CETA puts trade interests above climate action. Climate and other sustainability objectives are not sanctioned in CETA.”
Anne Bundschuh, Trade and Investment Policy Officer at PowerShift e.V.:
“CETA aims to set new standards for fair trade agreements. Extensive special rights for corporations are in no way compatible with this! Canada itself has demonstrated that an exit from this dangerous instrument is possible: The North American Free Trade Agreement, revised in 2018, no longer provides for group rights between Canada and the USA.”
Felix Kolb, Managing Director at Campact: “The Federal Government’s approach to the CETA free trade agreement is unacceptable. In an unnecessary Hauruck action, the ratification process was resumed. This deliberately left civil society and its criticism on the side of the road. However, the scope and dangers of the agreement are far too great. Instead of submitting CETA to the Bundestag before the summer break, the Federal Government should rather use the non-sessional time – to initiate critical dialogue and improve content.”
Lis Cunha, trade expert at Greenpeace e.V.: “We are not generally against trade with Canada. We only want it to be fair and based on democratic principles. Private arbitral tribunals for foreign corporations are incompatible with this. They bypass national justice systems and even fuel climate change. Therefore, the Bundestag must stop this parallel justice for investors and stop the ratification of CETA.”
Hanni Gramann, Attac trade expert: “CETA is intended to promote trade with a partner who shares the fundamental values of liberal democracy, according to the ratification law. Then why are arbitration tribunals for corporations enshrined in the agreement? Neither the formally improved ‘Investment Court System’ (ICS) nor a binding declaration of interpretation change this: Companies with offices in Canada or the EU would be empowered to use expensive investment protection lawsuits to challenge state legislation on environmental or social issues.”
They called for the protest: Working Group on Farming, Attac Germany, Berliner Wassertisch, Campact, Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung, Greenpeace e.V., local alliances and initiatives critical of free trade in Germany, NaturFreunde Germany, Network of Just World Trade, PowerShift e.V., Umweltinstitut München, Weltwirtschaft, Ökologie & Development - WEED e.V.
Photos of the action can be found at this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/albums/72177720300341781
Press contacts:
Ludwig Essig, le@forumue.de, 0176 546 752 53
Hanni Gramann, hanni.gramann@attac.de, 0176 3060 8762
