Estelle Massé

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a free trade agreement currently being negotiated between the United States and the European Union, aiming at increasing trade and (dangerously) seeking “regulatory coherence.” If adopted, TTIP would become the world’s largest free trade and investment agreement, opening both markets for exchange in goods, services, investment, and public procurement.

As two major international trade agreements are being negotiated, an increasingly contentious debate is taking place on the need to include an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism. This mechanism enables companies to sue governments and challenge legislation in arbitration courts (outside of domestic judicial systems.

On April 15th, the European Parliament required companies to disclose information on their environmental, labor, and human rights impacts, in addition to financial reports.

On April 8, the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) ruled on the Data Retention Directive and invalidated this controversial European law.

Today the European Parliament voted on the European Telecoms Single Market proposal, a major legislative achievement protecting net neutrality that will have a crucial impact on how European users experience the internet for generations.

After six months of negotiations, the European Parliament will finally vote on the proposal for a Telecoms Single Market in one week. This proposal was initially designed to deliver the promise of enshrining net neutrality as law across Europe. Yet unless the European Parliament rises to the challenge next week, they may actually end up undermining net neutrality net through unclear and confusing legislation.

On Monday, 24 February, the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee of the European Parliament will vote on the European Commission’s Telecoms Single Market proposal. This proposal includes provisions that put the future of the internet at risk as if not adequately amended, it would allow telcos to restrict the rights of internet users and establish a two-tiered internet in Europe.

In September 2013, the European Commission presented its proposed regulation for a single market for electronic communications (see Access’s analysis here). The Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee is the lead committee for this proposal and will provide its final report on February 24, before the legislative proposal is voted on by the full European Parliament in early April 2014.

Today, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee of the European Parliament voted on the Telecom Single Market proposal, which includes provisions putting net neutrality at stake in Europe.

On February 9th, the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) presented its long-awaited draft report on the impact of mass surveillance programmes on the rights of European citizens.