Investor courts have no place in a fair EU trade policy
ECJ to rule on CETA
The Belgian government has today announced that it will refer to the European Court of Justice the question of whether the investment tribunals in the EU-Canada trade deal CETA are consistent with EU law.
Commenting on the announcement, Green trade spokesperson Yannick Jadot says:
“Arbitration courts for investors are completely undemocratic and incompatible with European standards for a fair justice system. In the European Parliament, the Greens strongly campaigned on this basis to send CETA to the Court of justice in order to verify its compliance with EU treaties. Unfortunately, our resolution to send CETA to the court was defeated but the debate has lived beyond that. That's why we strongly welcome that there will now be an opportunity to establish without doubt that Investors-to-state-dispute settlement systems are inconsistent with EU law”
Greens/EFA co-president and Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts adds:
"Although it has been nine months and the court's judgment is not expected until spring 2019, we are pleased that this step has finally been taken. The verdict will be decisive for all ongoing and future trade negotiations. But in the meantime, vigilance is needed, particularly in the coming weeks when the Council will define the Commission's mandate to negotiate with other economic powers the creation of the multilateral investment court."
