Cecilia Malmstrom, the lead EU Trade Commissioner of the TTIP negotiations between Europe and the US has a personal statement on the EU Commission website that defines her role as primarily “Pursuing an ambitious trade agenda to the benefit of European citizens, SMEs and the broader economy” and “Negotiating bilateral trade agreement with key countries, including reaching a balanced and reasonable Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the U.S. that respects Europe’s safety, health, social and data protection standards, and our cultural diversity.”
To say that Malmstrom occupies an important, strategic role in global trade today is an understatement as this deal, if signed, will be the biggest in human history and will account for $38billion (40 percent) of the $76billion of annual global GDP.
Basically, she is in charge of trade and investment policy for each of the 28 EU member states, and it is her officials that are currently attempting to finalise the TTIP deal with the USA – all behind closed doors.
Malmstrom has faced huge public opposition over TTIP. Millions have signed petitions, 500,000 from Britain alone. Huge protests groups have rallied in every city in Europe, some have turned ugly with protestors facing riot police in Brussels and elsewhere.
All of these protests, have been completely ignored and no doubt will continue to be so. It is difficult to see how Malmstrom is fulfilling her role when it comes to “benefitting European citizens, SMEs and the broader economy that respects Europe’s safety, health, social and data protection standards, and its cultural diversity” in the face of such citizen outrage.
Questioned by a reporter from The Independent a few months back on why she continued her persistent promotion of the deal against such massive public opposition, her response –