EU trade with Trump would undermine international climate commitments
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Friends of the Earth Europe | 18 February 2019
EU trade with Trump would undermine international climate commitments
Three years ago, widespread protests took place across Europe against a planned trade deal between the EU and the US. It was eventually halted. In order to avoid President Trump slapping tariffs on imports of EU-made cars, EU governments are now planning to agree terms to start negotiating a new transatlantic trade deal.
EU and national decision makers have stated that the EU will only negotiate trade deals with countries signed up to the Paris Agreement. Trump has declared that he will take the USA out of it. Thousands of citizens – especially school children – are currently marching in the streets demanding immediate action from decision makers on climate change.
European decision makers need to listen to the citizens they serve, and show the world that the EU takes the Paris Agreement seriously. There should be no negotiations with countries that show neither ambition nor action on climate change and environmental protection.
Global commitments towards stopping climate change must come before the interests of the EU car lobby. Hard-won standards that protect people and the planet should come before trade deals. As a minimum, EU decision makers must keep their word, uphold the Paris Agreement and not mandate new trade negotiations with the USA.
But the situation is urgent, and they must go further.
As civil society groups, we call on the European Commission, national governments and EU parliamentarians to use every political and financial tool at their disposal to speedily and justly end the fossil fuel age now. We must avoid the chaos, droughts and rising tides of 1.5 degrees or more of global warming, and bring about a safer, fairer, and cleaner Europe.
Signatories
International groups: Global Legal Action Network, GRAIN, Greenpeace, Health and Trade Network
European groups: ClientEarth, Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) Europe, Slow Food Europe
National groups
Austria Attac Österreich
Belgium Bond Beter Leefmilieu, CNCD-11.11.11, vzw Climaxi
Bosnia and Herzegovina Centar za životnu sredinu/ FoE Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria Za Zemiata, FoE Bulgaria
Cyprus Friends of the Earth Cyprus
Denmark NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark
England, Wales and Northern Ireland Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
France 350.org France, ActionAid France - Peuples Solidaires, Alofa tuvalu, Amis de la Terre France (Friends of the Earth France), Confédération paysanne, Fondation Nicolas Hulot, Réseau Action Climat – France, SumOfUs, Veblen Institute
Germany Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL), BUND (Friends of the Earth
Germany), Netzwerk Gerechter Welthandel, PowerShift e.V.
Greece Naturefriends
Hungary MTVSZ/Friends of the Earth Hungary, Védegylet Egyesület
Ireland Keep Ireland Fracking Free
Italia Coordinamento Nazionale No Triv, Fairwatch, Stop TTIP/CETA Italia, Terra! Onlus
Luxembourg Mouvement Ecologique
Malta Friends of the Earth Malta
Romania Lubim Natura
Slovenia Umanotera
Spain Amigos de la Tierra España, Argentinos en España, Asociación de Permacultura ATTA, ATTAC España, Campaña "No a los Tratados de Comercio e Inversión", Campanya Catalunya No als Tractats de Comerç i Inversió, DiEM25, Ecologistas en Acción, Entrepueblos/Entrepobles/Entrepobos/Herriarte, Lafede.cat - Organitzacions per a la Justícia Global, Plataforma Auditoría Ciudadana Deuda PACD Sevilla, SETEM MCM, Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT)
The Netherlands Both ENDS, Milieudefensie, Platform Aarde Boer Consument, Platform Duurzame en Solidaire Economie, TTIP, CETA and agriculture coalition, WILPF NL
For further information, please contact
Mute Schimpf, Friends of the Earth Europe
Mundo-b building, Rue d-Edimbourg 26,
1050 Brussels, Belgium
Mute.schimpf@foeeurope.org
