Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Public services under attack through TTIP and CETA

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Public services under attack through TTIP and CETA

Click here to access article posted on Corporate Europe Observatory.

The article is a summary of a 45 page report (PDF) issued by a group of European NGOs and trade unions.

[The report] shows the aggressive agenda of services corporations with regards to TTIP and CETA [Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement] pushing for far-reaching market opening in areas such as health, cultural and postal services, and water, which would allow them to enter and dominate the markets. And it shows how those in charge of EU trade negotiations are rolling out the red carpet for the services industry, with both the consolidated CETA agreement published in September 2014, as well as drafts of TTIP chapters and internal negotiation documents that reflect the wishlists of corporate lobbyists.