EA Group member Cllr Tony Buchanan has today sought assurances from European Commissioner De Gucht that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will not damage public services across Europe. Speaking at the Committee of the Regions 108th plenary session in Brussels, Cllr Buchanan called on the partnership negotiations to be much more transparent and ensure public services, in particular Scotland's NHS, do not face any threat of privatisation.
Commenting after the session Cllr Buchanan said,
"Scotland's NHS is revered around the world and famous for being a first-class service free at the point of need. I welcome the potential for any economic growth within the agreement for Europe however we need cast-iron assurances that the rights of our public sector workers and our citizens are protected, and we must ensure that this does not become a race to the bottom for public services."
