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German version: Offener Brief an Handelskommissar Lamy
Seattle to Brussels Network
10 May 2001
Open letter to Trade Commissioner Lamy concerning
the European Commission's ‘civil society’ dialogues on the WTO
Dear Commissioner Lamy,
We are writing to you on behalf of the ‘Seattle to Brussels’ network, a pan-European NGO network
campaigning for a sustainable, democratic and accountable system of trade that benefits all. Our network includes development, environment, human rights rights, women’s and farmers organisations, trade unions and research institutes.
Today, May 10th 2001, you have invited several NGO and business representatives to participate in a general public meeting to discuss the launch of a New Round and the so-called civil society
consultations organised by the European Commission. On this occasion, we would like to express that we are deeply concerned about these consultations and the EU’s position. For example, it appears that more than a year after the collapse of the WTO's Seattle Ministerial and despite worldwide opposition
to a new round from almost 1500 NGOs in 89 countries and many developing countries:
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the EC is still not committed to an assessment of the impacts of the Uruguay Round;
- the EC continues to push for a comprehensive new WTO trade round focussing on investment and competition;
- the EC’s consultations focus mostly on modalities for a new round rather than engaging in a broad and public debate on alternative and sustainable forms of trade;
- in special issue groups the issue of investment and competition are discussed that have been rejected by groups all over the world and many developing countries as new issues in the WTO (the new plurilateral approach for investment and competition and a GATS-type approach for investment are also
rejected by the NGOs);
- the contact group established by the EC includes business groups such as UNICE, COPA and the
European Services Forum that lobby for the interests of large companies and agribusinesses, but excludes the concerns of small scale enterprises and farmers;
- the contact group is inherently exclusive and untransparent. Its problematic structure is an obstacle to a truly open, wider and substantive public debate about the EU's neoliberal agenda;
- exclusive meetings with business interest groups are undertaken in addition to the consultations;
In short, the EC appears to have little intention of reviewing and rectifying deficiencies of the current WTO regime or taking into account the concerns of many campaign groups and organisations.
Because of these reasons many members of organisations, including many in the Seattle to Brussels Network, are of the opinion that participation in these consultations is pointless and even
counterproductive.
Our members have signed the WTO: Shrink or Sink! statement. In this statement we call on
governments to follow eleven clear steps to rollback the power and authority of the WTO and to develop a sustainable, socially just and democratically accountable trade system (see
http//:www.citizen.org/tpctrade/gattwto/shrinksink/shrinksink.htm).
We believe the EU should withdraw its proposal for a comprehensive new round. Negotiations already underway (concerning agriculture, intellectual property rights, and services) are already sufficiently controversial and have the potential to have severe negative impacts on people and their environment. We reiterate our call for a halt on further negotiation that would expand the scope and power of the WTO, notably in investment, competition, government procurement, trade facilitation, biotechnology, and accelerated tariff liberalisation.
The concerns of developing countries need to be taken into consideration. If not, the next WTO
Ministerial in Qatar could turn out to be another Seattle.
The Commission should make every effort to develop a meaningful policy for an equitable and
sustainable trading system. Such a policy can only be formulated after a comprehensive public debate and sustained and public dialogue with WTO -members and groups from all continents about the impacts of the Uruguay Round.
Yours sincerely,
Austria
Klaudia Paiha
Bundessprecherin
Alternative und Gruene GewerkschafterInnen
(AUGE/UG)
Mag. Nora Miljevic,
Referentin für Lehrlinge und Jugendliche,
AK Wien
Hanns Moshammer, MD
ÄrztInnen für eine gesunde Umwelt (ISDE Austria)
Herbert Langthaler,
Asylkoordination Österreich, AUSTRIA
Elisabeth Baumhöfer
Austrian Mountain Farmers Associacion (Österreichische
Bergbauernvereinigung)
Prof.Dr.Ilse Hanak,
Austrian Platform of WIDE (Women in Development Europe)
Mag Alexander Kaiser
Bio ERNTE Kärnten - Landesverband der Biobauern
Walther Schuetz,
Secretary
Buendnis fuer Eine Welt /OeIE
Stefan Ohmacht,
Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnungslosenhilfe (BAWO, Austrian Association of Service Providers for
the Homeless)
Annemarie Fleck,
Carinthian Network against Poverty and Social Exclusion,
Carinthia/Austria
Matthias Reichl
Press-speaker
Center for Encounters and Active Non-Violence
Gertrude Klaffenböck, DI,
FIAN Austria
Edda Pilgram-Hannesschläger,
Frauenberatung, AUT/Klagenfurt
DI Iris Strutzmann
GLOBAL 2000 / FoE Austria_
Iris Begusch,
Grüne Bildungswerkstatt Kärnten
Grüne Bildungswerkstatt Tirol
Heinz Pichler
Bildungsexperte,
Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte
Kärnten
Reinhilde Begle / Rauch Josef,
Kath. Arbeitnehmer/ínnen Bewegung Vorarlberg
Dr. Leo Gabriel
Informationsgruppe Lateinamerika (IGLA)
Univ. Prof. Dr. Emmerich Tálos
Institut für Staatswissenschaft
Fakultät für Wirtschaftswissenschaften und Informatik
Universität Wien
Gerhard Burda, Mag.rer.soc.oec.,
Project Manager
International Development Cooperation
Robert Reischer,
Treasurer,
International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Austrian branch
Prof. Manfred Neuberger, MD
Board Member
Internat. Society of Environmental Medicine
Univ. Vienna
Helmuth Lawitz
Kammerrat der AKNÖ
Vors. Gew. Druck & Papier für
Wien, Niederösterreich und Burgenland
Mag. Hildegard Wipfel
Referentin f. Entwicklungsförderung
Kath. Frauenbewegung
Mag. Christian Salmhofer
Klimabündnis Koordinationsstelle Kärnten
Mag Renate Machat,
Kommunalpolitik der Arbeiterkammer Wien
Hermann Klosius,
Lateinamerika Anders
Rev.Dr.Julius Hanak,
Lutheran Church of Austria
Andreas Drack,
Klimaschutzkoordinator,
Oö. Akademie für Umwelt und Natur
Mag Sepp Wall-Strasser
Bildungssekretär
Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund
Gerald Bauer, Ing.,
Permakultur
Mag. Gerhard Kohlmaier
Steuerinitiative im ÖGB
Christian Schwaiger,
Vorstandsmitglied im entwicklungspolitischen Verein
'Suedwind-Tirol'
Maria Raith,
Südwind Steiermark
Ana Moreno, DI
Technische Umweltschutz
Graz (Austria)
Wolfgang Greif
Trade Union for Salaried Employees, Austria
Head of International Relations
Helmut Adam
TransFair Österreich
Mag. Jobst Bernadette,
Umweltberatung Klagenfurt
Elisabeth Gärtner
Universität Innsbruck
Franz Ofner,
Universitätsdozent,
Universität Klagenfurt
Christoph Klatzer,
VABIKU - weltumspannend arbeiten
Karin Thaler
Head
"Verein zur Förderung der 1 Welt"
Mag. Franz Schmidjell
vidc-kulturen in bewegung
Chriselda & Johann Kandler
Weltladen Lienz
Klimabündnis(Climate Aliance)
Gertrude Eigelsreiter-jashari, MA,
Head of Regional Office
"Wind of the South" (NGDO) –
Mag. Stefan Hindinger,
Leiter,
Wohnungslosenhilfe Mosaik Vöcklabruck
Belgium
Begona Inarra
Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network
Stefaan Declercq
Secretary General
Oxfam-Solidarity
Wendel Trio
Advocacy
Oxfam-Wereldwinkels
Croatia
Ivana Ivicic
Zelena akcija-Green Action, Croatia
Denmark
Bo Normander, PhD
Campaigner
NOAH, FoE Denmark
Morten Nielsen
Chairman
Southern Africa Contact
Kenneth Haar
SOS WTO
Estonia
Peep Mardiste
Director
Eesti Roheline Liikumine, Friends of the Earth-Estonia
Finland
Anastasia Laitila
Vice-president
Maan ystävat ry/Friends of the Earth Finland
Leo Partanen
Study centre´s leader
Demokraattinen Sivistysliitto (Democratic culture organisation)
Ville-Veikko Hirvelä,
responsible for new round affairs
WTO-campaign of the Finnish NGOs
Ulla Klötzer,
Chair
Alternative to EU - Finland
Europe
Gerard Choplin
Coordination Paysanne Européenne
Erik Wesselius
Corporate Europe Observatory
Alexandra Wandel
Trade and Sustainability Co-ordinator
Friends of the Earth Europe
Dr. Raoul Marc Jennar
Researcher
URFIG, Bruxelles-Paris-Genève
France
Bernard Cassen
President
ATTAC France
Etienne VERNET
ECOROPA
Louis Weber
Fédération syndicale unitaire (Education, recherche et culture)
Meredyth Bowler-Ailloud
IDS
Agnès BERTRAND
Institute for Relocalisation of Economy
Christian Berdot
Les Amis de la Terre (FoE)
Georgia
Nino Gujaraidze
Association "Green Alternative"
Lasha Chkhetia,
WTO Campaigner,
The Greens Movement of Georgia - FoE Georgia
Germany
Daniel Mittler
International Campaigner
BUND
Michael Frein,
Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED)
(Church Development Service)
Odette Smout,
Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung
Maria Mies
Network Against Corporate Rule and Neoliberal Policy
Dr. Hans-Christoph Bill,
Weltladen-Dachverband (German Worldshop Association)
Peter Fuchs
Project Manager Trade & Investment,
World Economy, Ecology & Development (WEED)
Greece
Vangelis Stoyannis
President
Nea Ecologia-Friends of the Earth Greece
Hungary
András Lukács
President
Levegõ Munkacsoport / Clean Air Action Group
Robert Fidrich
Gobalisation Program Coordinator
Magyar Termeszetvedok Szovetsege (MTVSZ) - FoE Hungary
István Síklaky
President
Összefogás a Fennmaradásért Mozgalom (ÖFEM) - Alliance for Continuance Movement
Italy
Laura Radiconcini
Member of the Board
Amici della Terra
Luxembourg
Mike Mathias
Action Solidarité Tiers Monde
Netherlands
Wiert Wiertsema
Policy Coordinator
Both ENDS
Bertram Zagema
Milieudefensie
Fiona Dove
Director
Transnational Institute
Burghard Ilge,
Werkgroep Globalisering Delft/Den Haag,
Spain
Daniel Sanchez
Executive Director
Amigos de la Tierra Spain
María López Villalba,
ATTAC ANDALUCIA
Manuel Martinez-Barreiro,
ATTAC GALICIA
Josep Fons,
ATTAC VALENCIA
Luis Edo,
ATTAC CATALUNYA
Stefan Armborst
Ecologistas en Acción Madrid
Slovak Republic
Jen Kalafut, Economic Program Assistant
Juraj Zamkovsky,
Economic Program Director
Center for Environmental Public Advocacy
UK
Guy Hughes
Head, Campaigns Team
People & Planet
Ronnie Hall
Trade Programme Manager
FOE (England, Wales and N Ireland)
Clare Joy
Campaigns Officer
World Development Movement
Chris Keene
Coordinator
Anti-Globalisation Network
Switzerland
Marianne Hochuli
Berne Declaration
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