In this section we list CIEL and HEAL articles, blogs and press releases as well as additional background information.
February 2017 — Ceta threatens protection against EDCs (ChemicalWatch): Should Ceta be adopted, Canada and companies doing business there can challenge EU EDC laws based on provisions within the agreement that favour investment over health. Ceta would also establish opaque and unaccountable processes that threaten to further delay, stop, or reverse EU efforts to regulate EDCs.
12 January 2017 — Vote on EU-Canada deal disappoints health groups (HEAL/CIEL): Thirty-five organizations committed to maintaining effective chemical safety regulation in Europe are dismayed by today’s vote on the controversial EU-Canada trade and investment deal.
12 January 2017 — EDCs ‘straitjacket’ fears prompt NGO call on EU-Canada deal (Chemical Watch): Fears a trade deal with Canada could lead to lower EU standards on protection against endocrine disrupting chemicals have prompted 35 NGOs to write to the European Parliament’s environment committee.
12 December 2016 — New endocrine disruptor rules address your trade concerns, EU tells US, Canada (EurActiv): The European Commission told the US and Canada that draft EU pesticides laws would “address the concerns” they had over possible trade restrictions on goods exposed to endocrine disruptors.
29 November 2016 — Endocrine Disruptors: the interference of the United States (English translation of an article published in Le Monde): Since 2013, the United States has been contesting by all means available the European regulation of these chemicals in the name of free trade.
28 November 2016 — 455 European and Canadian civil society groups call for rejection of CETA (Seattle to Brussels Network): Together with other not-for-profit organizations, CIEL and HEAL have signed a statement expressing our opposition to the ratification of the EU-Canada agreement as it stands.
21 October 2016 — EU-Canada trade and investment deal fails its first democratic test (CIEL, HEAL): Belgium rejected the flawed EU-Canada trade and investment deal, which would have expanded the rights of corporations to challenge laws protecting public health and the environment.
6 October 2016 — Is the EU its own worst enemy in trade and investment agreements? (CIEL): The European Commission has become its own worst enemy in negotiating trade and investment agreements like TTIP.
23 September 2016 — Trade ministers discuss halting or reforming the US-EU trade Talks (CIEL, HEAL): The French trade minister and the Austrian vice-chancellor proposed halting TTIP during an informal meeting of trade ministers in Bratislava, Slovakia.
9 September 2016 — Technical barriers to Trade (TBTs) in the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TACD): The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue outlines recommendations for the EU and US negotiators regarding tansatlantic regulatory compatibility.
2 September 2016 — Resolution on better transatlantic cooperation on chemicals in light of TTIP (TACD): The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue outlines a set of updated recommendations to the negotiating parties regarding transatlantic cooperation in chemicals management.
14 July 2016 — Did TTIP push the EU to scrap precaution on endocrine disruptors? (BEUC): In June, the European Commission broke a promise it had made to you and all other EU citizens. The promise? That the EU will not trade away the ’precautionary principle’ to strike a trade deal with the United States (known as TTIP).
7 July 2016 — European Commission crosses Parliament’s red lines on TTIP, say 65+ organisations (CIEL, ClientEarth, HEAL): Over 65 civil society organisations warned European Parliament President Martin Schulz that the European Commission is failing to comply with Parliament’s 2015 TTIP Resolution. In crossing Parliament’s “red lines”, the Commission’s TTIP proposals endanger public health, the environment, and democracy.
2 May 2016 — Health and consumer groups say TTIP leak confirms fears (EurActiv): The leaked documents of current US positions in the ongoing transatlantic trade talks have made health and consumer rights organisations wary that EU legislation could still be watered down under the agreement.
2 May 2016 — TTIP Leaks (Greenpeace Netherlands): Greenpeace Netherlands has released secret TTIP negotiation documents.
26 April 2016 — Letter to Malmström warns TTIP must not delay safety laws (ClientEarth): CIEL, HEAL, ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau wrote to the EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, to ask her to exclude controversial elements of the EU’s Better Regulation agenda from TTIP.
26 April 2016 — TTIP: Chevron lobbied for controversial legal right as ‘environmental deterrent’ (the Guardian): US oil company wanted EU-US trade deal to give foreign investors the legal right to challenge government decision, documents show.
25 April 2016 — A new campaign to protect EU chemical laws (HEAL, CIEL): HEAL and CIEL are launching a campaign call via a new website and Twitter account (@TTIPingToxics). The campaign aims to ensure that the EU-US trade talks do not undermine EU chemicals legislation.
25 April 2016 — Call to exclude the ‘Good Regulatory Practices’ chapter from TTIP (CIEL, ClientEarth, European Environmental Bureau, HEAL): NGOs sent an open letter to trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom to ask her to ensure that the problematic elements of the EU ‘Better Regulation’ agenda are not codified in TTIP.
23 April 2016 — TTIP: a straitjacket on EU chemicals law? (Chemical Watch): As envisioned by the European Commission, regulatory cooperation is set to be at the heart of a future TTIP agreement as the nebulous mechanism driving alignment of EU and US rules — all with an eye to cut costs for business.
19 April 2016 — Investor-State dispute settlement undermines rule of law and democracy, UN expert tells Council of Europe (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights): Before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, UN expert Alfred de Zayas explained why the investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms contained in trade agreements are incompatible with democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
21 March 2016 — European Commission Continues to Ignore Parliament on TTIP (CIEL): The Commission released two new texts relating to the controversial TTIP, which continue to ignore requests by the European Parliament.
21 March 2016 — TTIP Regulatory Cooperation analysis (Joint analysis by T&E, EEB, EPHA, EHN, BEUC and TACD): In March 2016, the European Commission published a new position on regulatory cooperation within the 12th TTIP negotiation round. We welcome changes which aim at improving cooperation between regulators. However, some elements have not changed and that is particularly alarming.
22 February 2016 — TTIP talks re-start, and threaten our protection from hazardous chemicals (CHEM Trust): CHEM Trust remains very concerned about the proposals within TTIP for ‘regulatory co-operation’, which we consider have the potential to delay or undermine protection of wildlife and people from hazardous chemicals.
4 February 2016 — German judges slap TTIP down (Deutsche Welle): The German Magistrates Association (DRB) has dealt a major blow to one of the key elements of the TTIP deal. The judges said special courts allowing firms to sue countries were unnecessary and “had no legal basis.”
23 October 2015 — Is investor-state dispute settlement legal? A plea for EU judges to check (ClientEarth): Considering the important implications ISDS has for Europe, its people and its trade partners, it is essential that governments ask themselves whether ISDS is legal in the first place. We have severe doubts that ISDS is compatible with EU law, as we show in our new study.
1 September 2015 — European Parliament Takes a Stand to Protect REACH (CIEL): On July 8, 2015, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for REACH and other chemical laws to be excluded from the scope of the proposed TTIP.
10 June 2015 — Civil society groups warn of TTIP risk on EDCs (HEAL): NGOs called on the Rapporteur of the European Parliament’s Trade Committee to oppose a chemicals chapter in the EU US TTIP agreement because it could undermine future EU action on endocrine disruptors. NGOs have also set up an online platform to say no to ISDS.
3 June 2015 — Exposed: Impact of industry lobbying – and potentially TTIP – on regulation of hormone disrupting chemicals (CHEM Trust): Two recent reports have highlighted the way in which certain industries have been lobbying against EU regulation of hormone disrupting chemicals.
22 May 2015 — EU dropped pesticide laws due to US pressure over TTIP, documents reveal (The Guardian): US trade officials pushed EU to shelve action on endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility to facilitate TTIP free trade deal.
20 May 2015 — Reconstruction of the downfall of the EU endocrine policy (PAN Europe): Hundreds of disclosed documents reveal how EU Commission Health service DG SANTE joined forces with economic DGs on the criteria for endocrine disruption and crushed not only their enemy, lead DG Environment, but also the entire new EU policy on endocrine disruption.
20 April 2015 — The EU claims that TTIP won’t reduce EU food safety standards – but is this true? (CHEM Trust): The EU commission has claimed that there will be no lowering of food safety standards in TTIP. However, an examination of the EU’s negotiating position shows that they are already offering changes which could lead to increased amounts of pesticide residues in food in the EU in the future.
10 July 2014 — TTIP crosses the line on toxic chemicals for 111 NGOs (CIEL): 111 organizations sent a letter to negotiators objecting to the inclusion of the chemicals sector in any of TTIP’s relevant chapters, including Regulatory Coherence and Investment.
27 June 2014 — How TTIP could harm our health (HEAL): A wide Pan-European coalition of 120 non-profit groups has called for a fundamental change in the negotiations on TTIP, to protect public health and ensure a transparent and democratic policy debate.
Private profit versus public health 