Campaigners accused the government of blocking access to legal advice on the health service deal between Europe and the US. They insist that the government should heed their request for freedom of information.
The proposed agreement was met with criticism and disapproval from variety of NGOs and activists in Europe. Recent campaigners are particularly concerned with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) legal documents concerning the National Health Service (NHS).
Under TTIP, Europe's public health, education, and water services will be opened to US companies. This may eventually lead to the privatisation of the NHS. Almost 1,000 campaigners have signed a petition calling the Berwick constituency to exclude the NHS from TTIP, according to Northumberland Gazette.
Charity organization Global Justice Now wants greater transparency from the concerned parties. In The Guardian, the organization's director said, "If this trade deal is supposed to benefit all of us, why has it been so secretive? The documents we have seen so far have mostly come from Wikileaks or after intense pressure from campaign groups."
Likewise, the TTIP will seek to bring EU standards on food safety and environment close to the US standard. Critics point out that US regulations are much less strict. Case in point, about 70 percent of the processed foods sold in the US supermarkets have genetically modified ingredients in contrast the EU's policy of not allowing genetically modified foods, Independent reported.
In response, business secretary Sajid David said that disclosing the legal documents will put undue pressure on the civil servants. He said this will make them less likely to seek candid advice from their lawyers.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Siemens claimed in a Wall Street Journal article that the TTIP will strengthen US and EU global competitiveness by improving intellectual property protections and by setting new international rules on trade between the signatories. The European commission forecasts a €120 billion boost in EU's economy, a €90 billion boost for the US Economy and an overall €100 billion gain for the rest of the world.
At the recent World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Deutsche Post DHL Chief Executive Officer Frank Appel said "I think TTIP would be a terrific help for the world economy, so therefore I hope the U.S. and Europe get along on all these different aspects they still have to solve. I believe it could really drive economic growth in Europe and the U.S," CNBC reported.
TTIP is a proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States that seeks to liberalize rthe egulatory burden on exporters ranging from food safety and automobile parts. Under TTIP, private businesses can sue governmental instruments for any loss of profits.
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