TTIP-reading room: Trippelschritte to transparency

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Free trade agreements

TTIP-reading room: Trippelschritte to transparency

Since 2013 is being negotiated. But until now, to receive members of the German Bundestag insight into the Verhandlungstexte to TTIP. After a long struggle, under extreme conditions, in a kind of high-security reading room.

From the seat of the Ministry of economy in Berlin’s Scharnhorststraße to the Brandenburg gate it is just over two kilometres, or a half-hour walk. Last November, the “Alliance to stop TTIP” at the Brandenburg gate almost 3.3 million signatures to Martin Schulz passed, the President of the EU Parliament. Nearly half of the signatures have German made. The criticism of the Transatlantic trade and investment agreement is from the ranks of the opponents of globalization has long been over geschwappt in traditionally conservative circles: The Initiative
“SMEs against TTIP”
triggered by five entrepreneurs from the fields of mechanical engineering, beverage, food, construction and service in Germany, has already over 2000 Small – and Medium-sized businesses connected. Similar initiatives by companies, there are also in other countries of Europe, in England, about the Initiative
“business against TTIP”
.

The Protest against TTIP is enough long about globalization protesters,

Great intervention, great secrecy

In at least one point of the critics agree: you throw the Negotiators on both sides of the Atlantic of secrecy. Because the Public is only little and only selectively, because what exactly will be negotiated. This is TTIP well into the design possibilities for national policy intervention – such as in the case of technical and social Standards or tax policies. The massive criticism of the European Commission with a
Campaign
to meet. As is repeatedly claimed, the negotiations on TTIP are of a high level of transparency.

NDA

The most recent step to more transparency in the complex negotiation marathon is the opening of a reading room in the Bundeswirtschaftministerium. From Monday (1.2.) three groups of people selected Verhandlungsdokumente view: members of the government, deputies of the German Bundestag and members of the Federal Council. The finally some time on the agreement to the vote. The conditions are, however, of massive distrust of elected representatives shaped and strictly regulated: members must before Entering the reading room phones, Laptops and other electronic devices review; you may not use the documents only under the supervision of view; the parliamentarians may only handwritten notes, but no copies of documents made. The Green Deputy Katharina Dröge calls another edition: “We are obliged to sign that we absolute silence about the content of documents to preserve.” Should a member of contents of the documents to make public, the threat of imprisonment. The Chairwoman of the Greens in the Committee for economy and energy is the scandalous, because from their point of view “the Public has a right to know what is there in your name it is being negotiated”, so Boring in the DW interview.

Aktenstudium under the supervision of and requirements: the reading room in the Ministry of economic Affairs

You must remember: In the term of Parliament is the Italian word parlare, in English: to speak. On behalf of the Wahlvolks speak to the parliamentarians publicly with each other, discuss, debate, struggle for solutions and compromises. This would be in the case of TTIP in light of these rules are not possible; Max Bank from the organization to Lobby Control in Cologne: “This is from the point of view of a democratic Public sphere is unacceptable”, the judgment of the EU speakers of Lobby Control.

Modest Public Interest

Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel read at the presentation of the Leseraumes on Friday intimated that he could be a much more open approach with the Verhandlungstexten imagine. However, the European Commission did not win have been – and probably not the Americans. Gabriel said, however, of a good, large step to more transparency, but certainly not the last. Gabriel knows what he’s talking about: Even in 2014, had the Federal government on a request from the Green party in the Bundestag, out to admit, even to no insight into the Verhandlungsdokumente to have. Only in may 2015, was a reading room for employees of the Federal government is set up in the premises of the US Embassy in Berlin, under the same strict conditions as now in the Ministry of economy. Particularly common is the but not been used, said the Green Deputy Katharina Dröge. It refers to the government’s response to a further request of your group by the middle of January: Exactly 37 times is, therefore, the reading room in the U.S. Embassy visited has been – a Federal Minister was not there.