Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has potential to undermine EU procurement rules in care sector
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) aims to remove trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors to facilitate purchasing and selling goods and services between the EU and the US. As well as cutting tariffs across all sectors, the EU and the US want to tackle barriers behind the customs border – such as differences in technical regulations, standards and approval procedures. The TTIP negotiations, however, will also look at opening both markets for services, investment, and public procurement.
Many stakeholders are concerned that the European Commission is ready to eliminate non-tariff barriers such as quality criteria in public procurement. In doing so, TTIP has the potential to undermine the quality and accessibility of social services, as well as eliminating quality criteria and preferential procurement for community-based social services. This could have dire consequences for social and care services in Europe.
UNI Europa has taken a strong stance on the TTIP and you can read the UNI Europa briefing on the TTIP here http://www.uniglobalunion.org/sites/default/files/files/news/ttip_risks_and_challenges_ue_september_2013.pdf
War on Want has also slammed the deal as a real threat to democaracy. Read more here: http://www.waronwant.org/news/press-releases/18142-pan-eu-coalition-slams-eu-us-trade-deal-as-threat-to-democracy
SOLIDAR, the European network of 60 NGOs working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide, has produced a briefing which is available for download here: http://www.solidar.org/IMG/pdf/5._last_version_ttip_briefing_merge.pdf
SOLIDAR is calling on the European Commission to:
- Ensure that social services are excluded from the TTIP negotiations
- Make sure that the particular nature of social economy actors is better recognised as a key component of the European Social Model providing quality- and accessible services
- Respect the Voluntary European Quality Framework for Social Services and ensure that quality criteria in public procurement are not considered non-tariff barriers to trade in services
- Offer full transparency for all negotiating mandates and texts to allow for a public debate with civil society and trade unions, and the full involvement of the European Parliament.
SOLIDAR together with the Social Platform will host an event on TTIP and its possible implications on social and public services on the 17th of June. for more details please contact Eva-Maria.schneider@solidar.org