GATS negotiations

The negotiations that have opened in the WTO in the framework of the General Agreements on Trade and Services (GATS), have led numerous MEP's from various political parties, amongst which Greens, to call on parliamentarians to defend public services. In addition to their action, many associations are campaigning on this question, and convergent initiatives are currently being organised, including some during the Florence European Social Forum (November 6-10). European Green parties, aware about risks linked to the liberalisation of public services under the WTO's aegis, stress the necessity of transparency and democratic control of the negotiations led by the European Commission. Therefore they fully support and promote the demands formulated by MEP's and MP's as regards the GATS negotiations:

• that the European Parliament be kept informed, and be called upon to give its opinion before any decision is taken concerning the " offers " of liberalisation currently being prepared by the Commission. The parliament should intervene before these offers are submitted to the Council of ministers via the "133 Committee" and before they are sent to other WTO countries [deadline 31 March 2003];
• that all liberalisation requests addressed to the European Union by other WTO member countries be communicated by the Commission to the European Parliament;
• a debate in plenary session of the European Parliament with the Commission, and each national Parliament, in public session, with its government, on the mandate granted to the Commission for services negotiation;
• that the European Union ceases to ask for the liberalisation of third countries' public services under the aegis of the WTO;
• that the European Union asks for the abrogation of GATS article I.3,c1, so that the definition of "A service supplied in the exercise of governmental authority", that is to say all those which do not fall under the agreement, is not restricted and allows each member state genuinely to protect public services like education, health, energy, water, postal services, public transport, etc. (note);
• that there be no more binding GATS commitments until a full and independent economic, social and environmental impact assessment is conducted.

NEWS RELEASENFrom the office of the Green MEPs 11 December, 2002 100 MPs CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY IN SECRET TRADE TALKS GREEN MEP Caroline Lucas has joined more than 100 MPs from all parties in Westminster and Brussels in calling for increased democracy in international trade negotiations. Dr Lucas, along with Belgian postal workers and representatives of the European Federation of Public Services Unions, today presented Christmas gifts to EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy to symbolize his gift - control of public services - to big business and the World Trade Organisation. She said: "The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) currently being negotiated by Commissioner Lamy represents the greatest threat to public services ever faced - and yet the EU's position is being hidden from democratically elected MEPs behind a curtain of secrecy and deceit. "If MEP and MPs from national parliaments are being denied access to the negotiations how can the citizens who will have to live with the outcome be expected to understand the threat GATS poses - let alone influence the discussions?" GATS was originally proposed in 1995 and aims to conclude negotiations on opening 160 service sectors - including essential public services such as education and energy - to international competition by 2005. The treaty has been widely condemned by pro-democracy campaigners, trade unions and even local authorities, who fear it will undermine the government's ability to provide or support any services in these areas without facing legal challenges at the WTO. Speaking in the European Parliament's trade committee last month Dr Lucas accused Mr Lamy of deceiving parliament by claiming MEPs had full access to the EU's negotiating papers. ENDS For more information please contact Ben Duncan, press [at] greenmeps [dot] org [dot] uk">press [at] greenmeps [dot] org [dot] uk