H.E. Christian Kern
Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria October 6, 2016
Federal Chancellery
Ballhausplatz 2
1010 Vienna
Austria

Your Excellency, Chancellor Kern

We, the undersigned, wish to commend you on the concern you have expressed at the potential
negative impacts of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU
and Canada, and we call on you to vote against the ratification of the agreement when it comes
before the General Affairs Council of the European Union this month.

You are aware of the huge concern that exists across Europe as to the unprecedented new powers
that will be granted to North American businesses as a result of trade deals such as CETA and the
parallel Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and USA:

• A record 3.5 million people have signed the European Initiative against CETA and TTIP,
  from all 28 EU member states.
• The European Trade Union Confederation, representing 45 million workers across Europe,
  has confirmed its outright opposition to CETA.
• The European Public Service Union, representing 8 million European public service
  workers, has called for the rejection of CETA over its threat to public services.
• National and regional parliaments in Belgium, France, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Hungary,
  Netherlands, Bulgaria and Romania have raised serious concerns relating to CETA that
  could block its ratification at the national level.
• The SPÖ’s sister party in the UK, the Labour Party, has just reaffirmed its opposition to any
  form of investment court system in EU trade agreements, including CETA.

Recent initiatives undertaken to ease the passage of CETA through the ratification process have
done nothing to address the fundamental concerns as to the agreement’s negative aspects.
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström has confirmed that the binding declaration proposed to
‘clarify’ certain issues in CETA will do nothing to alter the text of the agreement. That declaration
will be unable, therefore, to address our concerns as to the substance of CETA.

The introduction of the proposed Investment Court System means that CETA will still grant North
American investors the right to sue democratically elected European governments in their own
privileged judicial system.

The proposal presented to the EU’s Trade Policy Committee on 16 September for provisional
application of CETA means that substantial parts of this highly controversial agreement will still be
brought into force before the democratic process of national ratification has run its course.
We commend your repeated statements of concern as to the potential negative impacts of CETA,
and we call on you to defend the rights and interests of the people of Europe from the threats posed
by CETA by voting against the ratification of the agreement.
Yours sincerely,

European and International Networks
Alter Summit
European Network against Health commercialisation
Food & Water Europe
Friends of the Earth Europe
Greenpeace
Health and Trade Network
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (Europe)
SumOfUs
Canadian Organisations
Council of Canadians
Common Frontiers
National Union of Public and General Employees
Réseau québécois sur l’intégration continentale (RQIC)
Trade Justice Network
European Organisations
2B Fair Foundation
Aitec
AEFJN
Akademie an der Steilküste
Aktionsbündnis No Moor Fracking
Alliance D19-20
Amandamaji ry
Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL)
Asociaţia România Vie / Romania Alive Society
Attac Bizkaia
Attac Finland
Attac France
Attac Ireland
Attac Spain
Berliner Wassertisch
BI Fracking freies Hessen n.e.V.
BI lebenswertes Korbach e.V.
Biodynamiske Forbrugere
Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) e. V. / Friends of
the Earth Germany
Bürgerinitiative FrackingFreies Hamburg
Bürgerinitiative Havixbeck
BürgerInneninitiative Umweltschutz Uelzen
Campaña estatal “No al TTIP, CETA y TiSA” (España) – 340 organisations
Citizen’s Initiative “Saubere Umwelt & Energie Altmark”
Civilna iniciativa za sLOVEnijo in svOboDO
CNE
Collectif Roosevelt
Compassion in World Farming
Comunitatea Uniţi Salvăm / United We Save Community
Confederación Intersindical
Confédération paysanne
Confédération paysanne PACA
Corporate Europe Observatory
de-clic.ro
Ecologistas en Acción
Ekumenická akademie
Emmaus Aurinkotehdas ry
EQUO
Europe and we Association
Federation of Independent Trade Unions in Education – FSIE
FGTB Wallonne
Food & Water Europe
Forebyggelses- og Patientrådet
Forum Umwelt & Entwicklung
Foundation for environment and agriculture
Frente Civico Somos Mayoría – Valencia
Friends of the Earth Denmark
Friends of the Earth Finland
Friends of the Earth Ireland
Fundacion Mundubat
Fundacja Kuźnia Kampanierów
Fundacja Strefa Zieleni
Gemeinnütziger Umweltschutzverein pro grün e.V. Paderborn
Global Justice Now
GRAIN
Hazards Campaign
Initiative stopp TTIP BGL/TS
Intersindical Valenciana
Kehys – The Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU
Klimaat -en vredesactiegroep Pimpampoentje
KMU gegen TTIP Germany
Les Amis de la Terre
Links Ecologisch Forum – Forum Gauche Ecologie
Maattomien ystävät ry
May Day
Mehr Demokratie e.V.
Mehr Demokratie e.V. LV Hamburg
MES – Mouvement pour l’Economie Solidaire
Milieudefensie
Mouvement Utopia
National Justice & Peace Network
Nature Friends Greece
New Wind Association
ONEJ
Pah valencia
Plataforma No al TTIP-CETA d’Elx
PowerShift e.V.
Puntarji Slovenije
Rettet den Regenwald e. V.
Solidary Bulgaria
StopTTIP UK