/ world today news/ The announced goals of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the EU and the US are to increase trade exchange and investment between the EU and the US, create new economic opportunities for job creation and growth by increasing access to markets and more great regulatory compatibility.
The TTIP negotiating mandate was not publicly available, and only strong public pressure led to its declassification by the European Commission and the publication of the negotiating directives.
The information available at the moment has caused sharp reactions and justified concern that it could lead to lower labor and environmental standards, increase unemployment, strengthen the influence of corporations to the detriment of democratically elected governments, deprive countries of the opportunity to conduct their own social and environmental policy. Hundreds of thousands of European citizens in over 400 EU cities, incl. and in Bulgaria, have already given public expression to this concern in protest actions and demonstrations.
Therefore, a firm commitment of the parties to sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions is necessary in accordance with the acquis of the EU and the legislation of the Member States.
Based on this,
NA of the BSP:
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It states that TTIP is based entirely on the neoliberal paradigm of the universality of the free market and neglects the social aspects that are at the heart of the European project.
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He insists that in the future the negotiations will be conducted behind closed doors by the European Commission, under the democratic control and guidelines of the member states. It draws attention that, given the high public interest, full transparency and publicity of the negotiation process under the Agreement should be guaranteed.
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It insists that the Agreement guarantees the protection of human and social rights, decent working conditions, environmental standards, as well as corporate social responsibility and fair trade.
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It emphasizes that the expansion of access to new markets and the strengthening of competition should not be to the detriment of consumers and at the expense of the safety of working conditions and the protection of the environment.
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It is declared categorically against the subject of TTIP negotiations to be issues concerning the application of technologies for the exploration and extraction of shale gas, the lowering of existing sanitary and phytosanitary measures and standards, including for genetically modified organisms, as well as the protection of personal data.
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It rejects the inclusion of a special investor-state dispute settlement mechanism in the Agreement, as both parties have reliable and well-developed legal and judicial systems.
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Confirms that the Agreement should not contain provisions that would affect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Union or its Member States.
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Announces that the NA of the BSP will create an expert group to analyze and assess the impact of TTIP on certain economic sectors and spheres of public life in Bulgaria and will initiate a national debate with the participation of all interested parties, including representatives of state and academic institutions, employers and trade union organizations, civil society and the media with full information about the content of the Agreement.
The draft agreement is unacceptable and the NA of the BSP calls on the representatives of the Bulgarian state institutions not to support it in this form, to demand full information from the EC on the progress of the negotiations and to effectively defend the interests of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian citizens.
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