A “STOP TAFTA” collective 06* has been established in the department. Its spokesperson, Michรจle Muratore (ATTAC), presented it during a press briefing and explained its purpose and future activities.
Created based on the national collective, the associations that comprise it are calling on citizens to join them in this “fight” against future bilateral agreements between the European Union, the United States, and Canada (less discussed but which could serve as a pilot project for the other), which are expected to eliminate the last tariff barriers (mainly present in agriculture) and the regulation standards of the service and investment markets.
According to them, these “liberalization” market agreements would favor capital and large multinationals.
The goal of the collective is to inform citizens and mobilize them to “influence” the conduct of the negotiations while industrial and financial lobbies are actively working to steer the contents of the agreement in their favor.
A European petition is being considered to give political weight to the actions of these movements (there are 44 such movements in European countries).
The initial signatories in the Alpes-Maritimes include Artisans du Monde, Attac, Evaleco, Gรฉnรฉrations futures, Confรฉderation Paysanne, LDH, CGT, FSU, and many others such as the PCF, Maintenant la Gauche, MJS, Nouvelle Donne, NPA, PG.
Actions will be organized in October in the Alpes-Maritimes region to protest against TAFTA: a conference-debate on the 1st at 6:30 pm at the Maison des Associations in Place Garibaldi, Nice, while a decentralized European Day of Action is planned for the 11th (in Nice?).
by Mounir Khamouri
