The Socialists and Democrats today welcomed the decision by the European Commission to publicise its revised offer for an international Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). The Commission published this document yesterday at the start of the 18th round of TiSA negotiations*.

Jude Kirton-Darling MEP, S&D co-ordinator for the report, said:
 
"The S&D Group has been the main drive for the Commission to adopt a more transparent approach to all trade negotiations, and we had been asking for these documents to be made public.
 
"However, we also need to remind the EU negotiators that the European Parliament adopted a clear position on TiSA in February, and it should be reflected this week in Geneva."

David Martin MEP, S&D spokesperson for international trade, added:
 
"Services are crucial to the EU economy. They account for over 70% of our GDP and over two thirds of Europeans are employed in this sector. Globally, the EU is the biggest exporter of services and we have a trade surplus of around 170 billion with our trade partners.
 
"We therefore call on the Commission to consolidate and strengthen this leading global position, but not at any cost. We must ensure that public services are fully exempt from the agreement and that workers' rights are safeguarded. The S&D Group won't accept any agreement which dilutes European standards or weakens the ability of European governments to act in the public interest."
 
* Note to the editors
Trade in Service Agreement (TiSA) is a trade agreement which is being negotiated between 23 members of World Trade Organization (WTO). Together participants account for 70% of world’s trade in services.