Putting CETA to national Parliaments is the right decision

Commenting on the decision of the European Commission to approve the EU-Canada trade deal (CETA) and to submit it to national Parliaments for approval, ETUC Confederal Secretary Liina Carr said “Putting the EU Canada trade deal to national Parliaments is the right decision given the controversy surrounding it.

“The ETUC still has serious concerns about CETA and will argue against ratification unless it is changed. The concerns, which we share with the Canadian Labour Congress, include labour standards that are not enforceable, a privileged legal process for foreign investors only, and its failure to comprehensively exclude public services. It is particularly shocking that investor protection is enforceable but worker protections are not.

“The decision of the Commission to put the deal to national Parliaments is a victory for trade unions and all those who campaign for trade deals that benefit people and not just corporate interests.”  

For ETUC/CL joint statement see https://www.etuc.org/press/european-and-canadian-trade-unions-agree-ceta-needs-more-work#.V3vBcPl97cs