The EU must not bow to Trump's delusional trade tariffs

Yannick Jadot, Greens/EFA MEP and spokesperson on trade comments the negotiating mandate for a new trade agreement with the United States that the European Commission has published today:

"Employees, consumers, citizens, environmental associations, elected officials, thousands of local authorities are opposed to TTIP and CETA. After all the protests, actions and debate it seems the Commission has yet to learn its lesson on trade. The Commission desire to hastily move ahead with trade agreements, that are destructive to the European project, without citizens approval is short-sighted and foolish.

"The Commission is doing its utmost to hear no evil and push on with trade deals that put the interests of corporations over citizens. The American objectives for a trade deal are clear: to defeat European legislation in a number of key sectors. Last week, the Department of Commerce published their desires for removing bans on hormones, GMOs, and the EU's higher standards that block the export of low quality and unsafe agricultural products to Europe. The United States clearly intends to be able to gain privileged access to future EU legislation through regulatory cooperation, by influencing these laws from the outset, even before the legislator takes them on board.

"The Commission is breaking its promise not to negotiate trade deals at gunpoint. The Trump Administration has its finger on the trigger, threatening to increase steel tariffs further if negotiations do not move fast enough. The EU must maintain its position as the world's leading trading bloc and not bow to the whims of Donald Trump's delusional approach to trade."