In the right direction but where is the text excluding public services from TTIP and TISA?
(24 March 2015) EPSU notes the EU - US joint statement on public services agreed on 20 March as a step towards securing necessary protection for these services in trade agreements. The statement recognises that defining the balance between public and private services is up to the discretion of each government and that trade agreements should not impede governments to adopt or maintain regulations to ensure the high quality of services and to protect important public interest objectives.
However, the statement does not say how the negotiators are going to ensure in practice that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) do not impact negatively on public services. The Commissioner and Ambassador do not offer new and clear text to show that the statement is more than part of the public relations exercise agreed in the European Council.
For EPSU a complete carve out of public services such as water and waste services, education, healthcare and social services from trade agreements is necessary.
In the next weeks the European Parliament will be discussing its position on TTIP and EPSU will be supporting amendments that demand such an exclusion.
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