In Brussels, Greenpeace activists have blocked the entrance of a building to stop negotiators from the United States and European Union from meeting behind closed doors to negotiate a massive trade deal. Opponents say the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership would expand corporate power at the expense of public health and the environment. Saskia Richartz, deputy director of Greenpeace Europe, announced the protest.
Saskia Richartz: “Greenpeace has blocked U.S. and EU negotiators from discussing a trade deal that threatens democracy, our environment, social standards and working conditions. In fact, this trade deal is not at all about trade. It’s about transferring powers from the people to big business. What they call barriers to trade are in fact the safeguards that protect our air and food from being poisoned.”