The Party of the European Left (EL), which was holding its Executive Board meeting last weekend in Brussels, participated with all its members in the demonstration that took place on 18 April in the Belgian capital against the TTIP, CETA and TISA. They did it carrying a banner with the slogan “For the democracy, the public and social services. Stop TTIP”. This rally, in the host city of the European Commission, was part of 734 activities organized in 46 countries across 5 continents.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in all corners of the planet to say no to these free trades treaties made in the interest of the lobbies, treaties which threaten labour and social rights and even menace the sovereignty of the countries. If it would be approved, the interests of powerful transnational corporations would be above those of national Governments, as the EL has already repeatedly denounced.
The EL, and its member parties, has launched a campaign against the TTIP, CETA and TISA – since the beginning of these negotiations developed in the opacity – explaining the consequences of these free trade agreements which only improve the benefit of the capital and the international corporations.
The Party of the European Left (EL) also welcomed and strongly supported the initiative of a European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP and CETA organized by an alliance of different progressive European movements and organisations and denounced the European Commission rejection of such initiative in September 2014.
The EL has already participated in the previous global mobilization last October 11, has carried out different divulgation events and has issued several press releases denouncing these treaties which will increase the labour deregulation, and will cause loss of work in agriculture, farming and medium-sized European industry as well as a harmful result on European people’s lives caused by the more flexible environmental protection rules and health guarantees, among so many other things.
The work of EL won’t stop till the definitive stop of these treaties.