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May 19th, 2015 
David Schulberg 
Leader of France’s National Front party, Marine Le Pen, has launched a month-long blitz against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – a proposed EU-US treaty, which has been criticized for secretiveness and lack of accountability.
“It is vital that the French people know about TTIP’s content
and its motivations in order to be able to fight it. Because our
fellow countrymen must have the choice of their future, because
they should impose a model for society that suits them, and not
forced by multinational companies eager for profits, Brussels
technocrats sold to the lobbies, politicians from the UMP [party
of former president Nicolas Sarkozy], who are subservient to
these technocrats,” Le Pen said during a press conference in
Paris.
Since 2013, open-ended negotiations between Washington and
Brussels have drawn up the framework for the agreement, intended
to standardize legislation and bring down trade barriers between
them.
As per US practice, the contents of all economic treaties are
classified. The EU has recently set up reading rooms throughout
Europe for officials with clearance – but only a few thousand
people have had access to the working documents.
Le Pen hit out at the secrecy of the negotiations, which have
featured mostly bureaucrats from the European Commission, the
EU’s executive body, and nebulous “stakeholders” from
businesses and public organizations. As a member of the European
parliament, she forwarded a motion for greater transparency in
negotiations last year. Le Pen’s motion was defeated.
READ
MORE: ‘Quite a paradox’: Topless FEMEN activists attack Marine Le
Pen at May Day rally (VIDEO)
She is now hoping for grassroots support.
“I am convinced that we can push back the TTIP if the peoples
are informed of its content, and if they decide themselves to
join us in order to express their disagreement concerning this
treaty,” Le Pen told journalists.
Both of France’s leading parties have endorsed the treaty, but Le
Pen is relying on strong the anti-European sentiment that
propelled her party to first place in last year’s elections for
the European parliament.
While TTIP’s authors promise that the treaty will bring an extra
0.5 percent GDP to Europe and the US, figures across the
political spectrum have expressed concern.
READ
MORE: ‘Post-democracy’: TTIP talks could undermine human rights –
UN official
US President Barack Obama, who is also negotiating a similar
treaty with Asia, was defeated by his own party in the Senate
last week when he asked for fast-track approval to handle
negotiations. Additional votes will be required if the proposed
legislation is not to be bogged down in the US chambers of
Congress.
Meanwhile, European legislators have raised a host of issues, in
particular concerning the investor-state dispute settlement
(ISDS) mechanism outlined in the treaty. The controversy centers
on the proposed special economic tribunal, which would operate
outside the traditional legal system and allow corporations to
challenge governments. In April, thousands took to the streets of
Brussels, Madrid, Berlin and Helsinki to protest against the
secretive deal.
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‘We must resist corporations’: Le Pen targets troubled TTIP deal in new campaign
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