What is TTIP?

TTIP (also known as Transatlantic Free Trade
Agreement or TAFTA) is a far-reaching agreement currently being negotiated between the European Commission (authorised by EU Member States) and the USA government, supposedly about trade but mostly about corporate rights, investment guarantees and deregulation.

The proposed TTIP ostensibly aims at achieving "regulatory convergence”, facilitating direct investment and improving "intellectual property rights", and combatting bureaucratic hurdles to market access for corporations from both sides of the Atlantic. However, this disguises deregulation, unfair and undemocratic investor protection and intellectual property monopolies, and harmful competition. While the promised but unsubstantiated and disputed economic benefits are marginal even in the best case scenarios, these goals threaten important rights and interests of the public in the EU, US, or the rest of the world.

Negotiations are happening behind closed doors, without true public consultation - even national parliaments are not even informed about the details of the Commission's negotiating mandate - but the rare snippets of information that have been released -- or leaked -- raise considerable concerns.

Attac is part of a EU-wide coalition of civil society organisations who share a deep concern about the various threats posed by the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The coalition represents a wide range of public interests including environmental protection, public health, agriculture, consumer rights and protection of food and farming standards, animal welfare, social and labour standards, workers' rights, development, public access to information and digital rights, essential public services including education, financial systems stability, and others.

We are committed to challenging the ongoing negotiations for the TTIP, CETA, and other similar Free Trade Agreements - on national and European level - to ensure transparent and democratic policy debate and agreements that serve the public interest.

Find out how you can support the campaign against TTIP on the website of your national chapter: http://www.attac.org/about/map