Protesters from a range of political groups have gathered in central Berlin for a protest against TTIP, a trade deal between the US and the European Union, which critics believe would benefit big corporations and hurt average Europeans.
Trade unions, environmental groups, charities and opposition parties are among the organizers of the rally, which was scheduled to go from the main railway station in central Berlin to the national parliament.
Some 24,000 signed up for the demonstration beforehand, but organizers said they hope for at least 50,000 people to show up. Berlin police say they expect up to 100,000 protesters to walk the city streets Saturday.
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is meant to improve trade between the US and the EU, bringing billions of dollars in extra profits to businesses.
Critics fear that it would lead to worse safeguards in Europe, bringing down standards for consumer safety, food and health or labor rights down to those in America. European nations have stricter regulations for things like genetically modified foods or workers benefits than the US does. There is also discontent with the secretive nature of the negotiations, which prompts skeptics to assume the worst about the document they would eventually produce.
A June opinion poll by Emnid showed that 36 percent of Germans saw TTIP as a bad thing, up from 25 percent in February last year, when the first such poll was conducted.
The protest also targets Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a similar trade deal that the EU is negotiating with Canada, which would also be bad for Europeans, according to critics.
There is a growing mistrust with the US in Europe’s leading country amid the scandal over mass electronic surveillance of Germans’ communications and the escalating refugee crisis, which many see as a result of failed American policies in the Middle East.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
No comments :
Post a Comment