EURO-MP Jean Lambert will speak out tonight against the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) at a meeting organised by the World Development Movement.
Mrs Lambert, London's Green Party MEP said: "This treaty is a real threat to democracy and development - it is all about transferring power from people and local authorities to shareholders of multi-national big business."
GATS,
an international trade agreement being advocated by the WTO, aims at opening up
public services - euphemistically referred to as 'services of general interest'
- to foreign competition by private corporations. Greens in the European Parliament
have opposed the treaty, which would
limit the ability of democratically elected
governments to regulate services of critical public interest ranging from health
and education to media and water supply.
Also speaking at the meeting are Christina Parsons from the World Development Movement, Dick Barry from Unison and Putney MP Tony Coleman.
ENDS
For more information please contact Ben or Katy on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or press@greenmeps.org.uk