CETA trade agreement: Foodwatch files complaint with EU

• Consumer organization criticizes lack of transparency and lack of democratic control
• CETA committees meet behind closed doors
• European Parliament has no say
• Foodwatch’s complaint to the EU Ombudsman

Berlin, Brussels, December 1, 2021

Foodwatch has filed an official complaint against the CETA trade agreement with the EU Ombudsman. According to Foodwatch, this is the last resort to stop CETA, after lengthy correspondence with the EU Commission on the EU-Canada treaty. The complaint is directed against the lack of transparency and democratic deficiencies in the working of CETA committees. The committees meet behind closed doors and negotiate important consumer and health issues such as pesticide standards, food controls and genetic engineering standards. Nevertheless, the EU Parliament did not take a stand on the matter, criticizing Foodwatch.

“We hope that the European Ombudsman will accept our complaint and launch an investigation. CETA is a black box and could be Pandora’s box for European food safety and health standards. We are talking about the talks in the CETA committees in a short amount of time. Not satisfied with the information,” said Foodwatch International campaign director Mirjam Hegele.

For example, Foodwatch wants to eliminate the EU precautionary principle as the basis for pesticide standards for EU imports, according to Canada. A lot of money is at stake: Canadian agricultural exports are hit by European standards for minimum residue levels for pesticides worth more than 1.88 billion euros per year.

» The CETA pesticide standard decisions will have a major impact on the food quality and health of 447 million EU citizens. This is a matter of great concern to the public. Still, we have no way of knowing what is being negotiated, says Mirjam Hegele.

Over the years, Foodwatch has worked hard to find out what the European Commission and Canada are conversing through freedom of information requests and publicly available documents. However, parts of the requested documents were not made available, criticizing the consumer organisation. Overall, the available documents do not provide sufficient insight into the working of CETA committees.

According to Foodwatch, the decisions of the CETA committees will have far-reaching consequences for all EU citizens. Just as the EU and Canada consider their respective standards equivalent to each other within the framework of CETA? For example in health protection or pesticides?? This regulation is binding under international law. Contracting parties can no longer unilaterally change their standards. This would mean that the EU cannot tighten its pesticide standards on new science without Canada’s consent?? Otherwise CETA risks sanctions from the internal dispute settlement body. It would also be a violation of international law.

Despite the far-reaching consequences of such decisions, the European Parliament would be overlooked, criticized Foodwatch. It has no authority in the decisions of CETA committees and only informs about the results. Only the Council of the European Union has to approve the positions representing the EU in CETA committees.

“It is appalling that far-reaching decisions affecting millions of people in Europe are being made in secret, without public debate and without democratic control by elected parliaments. CETAs and influential business committees are a serious democratic deficit that undermines European institutions. weaken the balance of power between the two countries. The European Parliament should play an important role in the implementation of CETA, «Mirzam Hegele said.