HCWH Europe Reaction to EP TTIP Resolution

BRUSSELS, 8th July 2015 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“A sad day for democracy, the environment and public health” - MEP Support of TTIP Talks Further Deepens Environmental Concerns and Increases Threat to Public Health, HCWH Europe Warns

The European Parliament today adopted a resolution[1] that gives special privileges to foreign investors and further aligns European rules with those of the US, therefore weakening the power of the EU to enforce more stringent environmental, food and safety standards. Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe is deeply concerned about the threat to both the environment and public health arising from this decision and calls for the European Commission to take immediate action during it’s continued negotiations next week.

In agreeing a final text today, MEPs have failed to address a number of widely echoed concerns about TTIP negotiations, including those around the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which would grant special privileges to foreign investors.

There has been growing concern about a number of aspects of the TTIP negotiations in Europe, and over 2.3 million people across Europe have already signed a petition calling on the EU to cease negotiations immediately. [2]

“It is disappointing to see how the EU Parliamentarians ignore the concerns of European citizens, whom they are meant to represent. NGOs and over 2 million individual citizens have raised concerns over TTIP, the investor-state dispute settlement and ‘regulatory cooperation’. Europe has more to lose than gain on consumer and health protection and lowering current standards. The resolution adopted today moves us away from elected EU decision-making towards a transatlantic unelected, unaccountable institution. “

“This is a sad day for democracy, the environment and public health.” 

Anja Leetz, Executive Director, HCWH Europe 

Negotiations continue in Brussels next week and HCWH Europe calls on the Commission to take into consideration the growing concerns of millions of people across the EU for the environment, public health and safety during these talks.

As well as public outcry, there have also been grave concerns raised by many environmental and health NGOs about TTIP, specifically about the inclusion of chemicals in the negotiations. In May, HCWH Europe was one of 29 NGOs who signed an open letter to MEP Bernd Lange calling on him to back the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Safety’s vote to exclude chemicals and four other health-related areas from TTIP.[3]


[1]http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A8-2015-0175&language=EN

[2] https://stop-ttip.org

[3] https://noharm-europe.org/sites/default/files/documents-files/3211/2015-05-12%20TTIP%20and%20EDCs%20Letter_May%202015.pdf


NOTES TO EDITORS

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe is a non-profit European coalition of hospitals, healthcare systems, healthcare professionals, local authorities, research/academic institutions and environmental and health organisations. It currently has 75 members in 26 countries from the WHO European region, including 17 EU member states.

HCWH Europe works to transform the healthcare sector worldwide so that it becomes more ecologically sustainable and a leading advocate for environmental health and justice across the globe. We bring the voice of healthcare professionals to the European policy debate about key issues such as chemicals, climate change and health, green building, sustainable procurement, pharmaceuticals, sustainable food and waste management. (www.noharm-europe.org)


MEDIA CONTACT

Aidan Long,

Communications & Information Officer, HCWH Europe

Email: aidan.long@hcwh.org