TTIP vote

I write in response to a letter (5 June) from Chilton Inglis. Firstly it is important to stress that the vote next week is a European Parliamentary vote on a report on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), not a vote on the trade deal itself. We are several years away from this.

The report we will be voting on concerns not just the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to which Mr Inglis refers, but also issues concerning workers’ rights, the protection of food and environmental standards, as well as the exclusion of all public services, regardless of how they are financed.

Mr Inglis is correct that ISDS is an undesirable element of TTIP and Labour MEPs have for some time been campaigning to have it removed.

Next week, when the full parliament votes on the report, Labour MEPs along with colleagues in the Socialist and Democrat Group will be working to gain support for a strong amendment explicitly stating to the European Commission the importance of excluding ISDS from the agreement.

This will be in addition to underlining our commitment to defend our standards regarding workers’ rights, public services and the environment.

David Martin MEP

Member, European Parliament International Trade Committee

European Parliament

Brussels