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The Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA)

tafta-eu-us

Negotiations are underway between the United States and the European Union (EU) for the Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA). This trade deal is a Trojan Horse for eliminating many of the strongest public protections in the U.S. and the E.U.

The focus on eliminating so-called “trade irritants” through “harmonization” policies could have a tremendously negative impact on our regulatory system — overriding long-supported safeguards that protect our well-being and safety. In particular, TAFTA would invite corporations to sue governments, give industry more power to influence policy-making, impose additional cost-benefit analysis requirements and drive down broadly accepted regulatory norms.

Strikingly, the elimination of “trade irritants” could have a sweeping and destructive deregulatory impact. Big businesses would be in a position to dismantle laws and standards addressing food safety, toxic chemicals, climate pollution, energy, privacy, financial stability, consumer labeling, drug and medical device safety and testing, competition, emerging technology, as well as a variety of consumer and environmental protections.

What is perhaps most concerning is that citizens have no way of knowing the details of these trade negotiations. While executives from some of the most powerful multinational corporations whisper into the ears of negotiators, ordinary citizens remain in the dark, excluded from the process. Concerned citizens and members of the public interest community cannot hold a meaningful debate on the proposed policies because they remain hidden from public view.

The bottom line is that this trade agreement could leave Americans and Europeans stuck with much weaker public safeguards and would put corporate interests ahead of the health and safety of citizens.

 


 

CSS Resources 

TAFTA: Bogus Claims About Economic Gains
Fact Sheet: July 3, 2014

TAFTA: Bankers’ Backdoor Plan to Roll Back Wall Street Reform
Fact Sheet: July 3, 2014

TAFTA: Empowering Corporations to Bypass Domestic Courts
Fact Sheet: July 3, 2014

TAFTA: A Backdoor to Genetically Modified Food
Fact Sheet: July 3, 2014

TAFTA: A Backdoor for Food Contamination
Fact Sheet: July 3, 2014

TAFTA: A Backdoor Plan to Roll Back Clean Energy Policies
Fact Sheet: July 3, 2014

Groups Oppose Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA)
Letter to Trade Representatives: May 12, 2014

The Serious Threats Posed by TAFTA
Public Symposium: December 17, 2013

Top 10 Threats of the Trans-Atlantic Trade Deal to Americans’ Daily Lives
Report: November 2013

Letter to Heads of State Opposing the Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) – Additional Signatories
Letter to Heads of State: November 11, 2013

Letter to Heads of State Opposing the Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA)
Letter to Heads of State: July 8, 2013

CSS Comment on the Proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement
Letter to Trade Representative: May 10, 2013

TAFTA and Regulatory Harmonization: A Critical New Front in the Battle for Sensible Safeguards
Public Symposium: April 18, 2013

 


 

Resources from Members and Affiliates

 


 

Experts

Attacks by Foreign Corporations on Local, State and Federal Policies

Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen, rweissman@citizen.org, 202-588-1000

Ilana Solomon, Trade Representative, Sierra Club, ilana.solomon@sierraclub.org, 202-547-1141

Lori Wallach, Global Trade Watch Director, Public Citizen, lwallach@citizen.org, 202-546-4996

Rollback of Financial Reforms

Ed Mierzwinski, Consumer Program Director, U.S. PIRG, edm@pirg.org, 202-546-9707 x314

Micah Hauptman, Financial Policy Counsel, Public Citizen, mhauptman@citizen.org, 202-546-4996

Food Safety

Chris Waldrop, Director, Food Policy Institute, cwaldrop@consumerfed.org, 202-387-6121

Tony Corbo, Senior Lobbyist, Food and Water Watch, tcorbo@fwwatch.org, 202-683-2500

Monique Goyens, Director General, The European Consumer Organization (BEUC), communications@beuc.eu, directorsoffice@beuc.eu, 0032 (0) 2 789 24 01

Unlabeled, Genetically Modified Food

Lori Wallach, Global Trade Watch Director, Public Citizen, lwallach@citizen.org, 202-546-4996

Tony Corbo, Senior Lobbyist, Food and Water Watch, tcorbo@fwwatch.org, 202-683-2500

Marco Contiero, EU Policy Director on Agriculture, Greenpeace EU, mcontier@greenpeace.org, 022741906

Environment & Climate

Ilana Solomon, Trade Representative, Sierra Club, ilana.solomon@sierraclub.org, 202-547-1141

Baskut Tuncak, Staff Attorney and Chemist, Center for International Environmental Law, btuncak@ciel.org, 202-785-8700

Magda Stoczkiewicz, Director, Friends of the Earth Europe, magda.stoczkiewicz@foeeurope.org, +32 2 893 1001

Medicine Safety and Access

Celia Wexler, Senior Washington Representative, Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, cwexler@ucsusa.org, 202-223-6133

Peter Maybarduk, Global Access to Medicines Director, Public Citizen, pmaybarduk@citizen.org, 202-588-1000

Digital Privacy

Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection, Consumer Federation of America, sgrant@consumerfed.org, 202-387-6121

Jeffrey Chester, Executive Director, Center for Digital Democracy, jeff@democraticmedia.org, 202-986-2220

Anna Fielder, Co-founder and Senior Policy Advisor, TACD, fielderana@blueyonder.co.uk, +44 7974-923-429

Monique Goyens, Director General, The European Consumer Organization (BEUC), communications@beuc.eu, directorsoffice@beuc.eu, 0032 (0) 2 789 24 01

Buy Local Rules (Buy American, Food, Climate)

Celeste Drake, Trade and Globalization Policy Specialist, AFL-CIO, cdrake@aflcio.org, 202-637-5344

Karen Hansen-Kuhn, International Program Director, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, khansenkuhn@iatp.org, 1-202-222-0749

Katy Ozer, National Family Farm Coalition, kozer@nffc.net, 202-543-5675

William Waren, wwaren@foe.org, (202) 222-0746

Dangerous Toys

Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and Senior Counsel, Consumer Federation of America, rweintraub@consumerfed.org, 202-939-1012

Ami Gadhia, Senior Policy Analyst, Consumer’s Union, agadhia@consumer.org, 202-462-6262 x1109