2. Towards fair and balanced EU trade policies for the benefits of jobs and citizens
ETUC experience concerning CETA and TTIP: EU institutions/the affiliates.
Influence of this experience on the trade union strategy on trade - going forward.

3. TTIP joint declaration AFL-CIO/ETUC
We strongly encourage the United States and the European Union to approach the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in a
manner that puts shared prosperity and sustainable social and economic development at the centre of the agreement. The TTIP should be negotiated in the public interest rather than in the interests of private investors.

4. Some history
The ETUC Working Group (now Committee) on International Trade has followed Transatlantic relations since they were brought back on the trade agenda by Commissioner Peter Mandelson.
Various joint statements with Canadian unions - CLC and US unions AFL-CIO from 2007 onwards.
The priorities have changed little over the years and have been pressed consistently.

5. canada
Trade Relations with Canada were first discussed between ETUC and Canadian Labour Congress in 2008 when we jointly raised with Commissioner Cathy Ashton and the Canadian Trade Minister our key issues of transparency; labour standards and ISDS.
We have maintained close relations with the CLC and have issued joint statements. The change of CLC President and of government in Canada has led to better relations there. This has also led to the possible reopening of the CETA SD chapter following the Joint Interpretative Instrument saga.

6. Us A number of joint statements with AFL-CIO dating back to 2007
The ETUC had been campaigning for the Transatlantic Labour Dialogue together with AFL-CIO to be given the same status as business TABD in the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) (I mentioned this in my opinion in 2008 (1.11 The EESC strongly recommends setting up funding mechanisms for the Transatlantic dialogues (TABD, TACD, TALD and TAED), and including the TALD and TAED into the Group of Advisors for the TEC.))
The TEC has continued its work and may become once again the focus for EU-US regulatory cooperation.

7. US continued
The TTIP Advisory Group was set up in December 2013 as a response to ETUC pressures. Unions have 2 seats (ETUC and industriALL), NGOs 4 and industrial lobbies 6. It has proved a useful source of information to the ETUC. Specific meetings with experts have also been arranged under the umbrella of the AG, including on sustainable development, on public services, and on regulatory cooperation, at the request of the ETUC.
The Advisory Group held its last meeting in March when they received a report of the state of play in January at the end of the Obama Administration. Given the wide differences still existing, plus Trump’s protectionist approach “Buy American” it is difficult to see how COM can take the issue out of “deep freeze”.
The employers always had their entries into the process, and their transatlantic high level group had provided the basis for TTIP objective.
For example one of the key EU offensive objectives is to open up public procurement. This goes straight against Trump’s “Buy America”.

8. 2015 Paris Manifesto
To contribute to fair globalisation, EU international trade and investment agreements, notably TTIP, must aim at shared prosperity and centre on sustainable economic and social development. They must promote employment, respect democratic decision-making, public interests and cultural identity; protect public services and the environment; contain enforceable labour rights based on ILO Conventions; and include ambitious chapters aimed at promoting higher labour, environmental and technical standards set by democratically accountable representatives… They should not include ISDS. All negotiations on such agreements must be carried out in a transparent and democratic way.

9. TTIP and CETA in the Action Plan (art 333 and 334):
Such agreements should be negotiated in the public interest rather than in the interests of private investors and must under no circumstance undermine Member States’ right to regulate.
ETUC opposes: ISDS
the negative list approach (covering services)
inclusion of public services in TAs
ETUC insists: all EU trade agreements must include labour protections

10. TTIP and CETA in the Action Plan (art 333 and 334): continued
The ETUC opposes the CETA agreement, which does not fulfil our conditions notably in including ISDS, and we will continue forcefully to oppose any further steps towards its ratification. The ETUC will take the same position in regards to any TTIP agreement. We will continue to monitor progress and press for improvements to promote decent jobs and growth and safeguard labour, consumer, environmental and health and safety standards through lobbying, campaigning and negotiating, in particular in our work in the European Parliament. We call on all affiliates to act at national level in support of this position.

11. The journey
No more ISDS – pressure from trade unions and civil society actors to abolish ISDS.
Public consultation resulting in ICS in CETA?
Further fight against private adjudication system – new proposal - MIC? Open to all countries that wish to join. Still maintaining parallel system.
HOWEVER - still no improvement on enforcement of Sustainable Development chapter in CETA.
Promise from the EC of opening the chapter to look at the issue of enforceability.

12. Democratic accountability
CETA was negotiated in a traditional way - without transparency despite TU demands
Result – public opposition and protests;
Solution offered by EC – interpretative instrument! But what’s its value - if any? Opposition remains!
TTIP transparency improved but still plenty of shortfalls
Why does it matter – TA increasingly focused on standard setting rather than lowering tariffs. But our standards reflection of our collective preferences, developed through collective bargaining and social dialogue! We need to protect them.

13. ETUC – EU progressive trade and investment policy
Labour standards
Corporate social responsibility
Investors’ protection and investors’ duties
Protection of public services and fundamental rights
Trade defense
Globalisation and restructuring
Trade and development
Taxation, services incl. Mode 4, data protection, e-commerce
Transparency of negotiations