President Obama toasts
President Francois Hollande at a state dinner
held in Hollande's honor
last week. It is not what they said, but what
they didn't say, that
worries European MP of France, Patrick Le Hyaric.
With Obama, Hollande Plots 'Economic War' on Behalf of
Multinationals (l'Humanite, France)
"Under the Transatlantic Trade & Investment
Partnership, any multinational corporation that considers our laws an impediment
to its capacity to exploit people and nature at its discretion would be given
the opportunity to sue states before special tribunals designed by and for multinationals.
Thus, neither parliaments nor governments would decide on laws. Multinational
corporations would create their own rights. This is a program for a
dictatorship at the beck and call of the powers of industry and finance, and without
the need for booted and helmeted generals."
French President François Hollande with President and Mrs. Obama before the start of a state dinner in Hollande's honor - the seventh such event of the Obama Administration, Feb. 11.
"We are astounded
at the way François Hollande, during his visit to the United States, showed himself
devoted to an agreement with North American leaders and capital which is so liberal
and so militaristic on the part of the West."
While
throughout society, as it is in the European Senate or Parliament, questions
about the usefulness and negative consequences of creating a transatlantic free
trade market are increasingly being raised, François Hollande, with no mandate
from Parliament, and contrary to his electoral commitments, directly asked
President Obama "to accelerate the creation of this vast market," the
talks on which began back in July, are completely secret. Even the text on the
mandate that the European Commission is negotiating in the name of all European
states is classified "restricted."
Thus
far, no public debate or government communication has been organized on this plan,
which is a matter of such consequence to our daily lives: our food, our health,
our social protections, and our public services. Ignoring all this, the president
of the Republic didn't hesitate to declare amid the euphoric atmosphere in
North America, presumably addressing himself to its industrial and financial titans:
"As long as principles have been set up, as long as mandates have been
decided and the interests of everyone are known, speed is not of the essence. What
we need is to find a solution." Both leaders are in effect declaring that the
negotiations are completed. It was all the more apparent who Hollande was
addressing when he said bluntly: "Of course a speedy agreement would be a
good thing because otherwise there will be fears and threats."
Terrible!
This is the organization of a grand sell-off of European and national
interests. It is the sacrifice of our livestock farming and gastronomy. It spells
the continuing destruction of our industry, culture and public services. It is
a crowbar for prying open our markets and handing on a platter our personal
data and private lives to the mastodons at Google and Yahoo, which keep such a close
watch over us, thereby providing them with a stream of business opportunities.
It is our liberty that is being sacrificed on the altar of capitalist free
trade, from which we have hitherto gleaned only long and depressing lines of unemployed
and insecure workers alongside those with no choice but the soup kitchen.
And
that's not all! It is vital that we not ignore the straight jacket integrated into
this project, which would constrain our lives and our laws, including those protecting
our social, human, and environmental rights. With this treaty, any
multinational corporation that considers our laws an impediment to its capacity
to exploit people and nature at its discretion would be given the opportunity
to sue states before special tribunals designed by and for multinationals. Thus,
neither parliaments nor governments would decide on laws. Multinational
corporations would create their own rights. This is a program for a
dictatorship at the beck and call of the powers of industry and finance, and without
the need for booted and helmeted generals.
Behind
this vast project hides both the Western camp's determination to recover its
hegemony over the world, and an attempt by the multinationals to circumvent the damage they have caused with their terrible policy of austerity
- a result of their quest for new export markets. This is a deadly scheme for economic
war. We must not allow them to do this. Reject the transatlantic market!
*Patrick Le Hyaric is a journalist, politician, and member of the E.U.
Parliament
