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Study Summary
TTIP: the Impacton the Greek Democracy, Economy and Society
G
reece, given the unfortunate synchronization of
1) its inherent structural weaknesses with 2) the
effects of the International recession and the financial
crisis in 2009, became the most appropriate field on
European ground for a pilot application of an intense
neoliberal restructuring.
The imposition of the Memorandums together with the
economic crisis constitute a turning point in modern
Greek history forming new economic and political conditions.
Therefore, the present study has a particular significance compared to relevant studies carried out for the
other European economies. First, it highlights the
already formed social deterioration, the democracy
decline and the structural economic change against the
interests of SMEs and labor that were imposed during
the seven-year memorandum period. Thereby, we
unfold the future of the rest EU societies following the
adoption of TTIP. Greece is a useful case-study on the
socioeconomic impact of all measures and restructurings that will be caused by the transatlantic integration.
Second, it presents the further consequences of the
Transatlantic Partnership in an economy that has
already been in a long, intentional recession (due to
the policy of "internal devaluation") suffering a 1/4
loss of domestically produced wealth and almost 25%
unemployment.
On the contrary, a part of the Greek society decided to
claim its right for its future and to act against TTIP and
its consequences. After all, the deeper, structural characteristics of the Greek economy - discussed in the text
– favor the development of an alternative, cooperative
model, which is diametrically opposed to the neoliberal
transformation.
Based on the above we claim for a radical policy
change in Greece: from being a field of the most violent, advanced neoliberal restructuring, to become a
paradigm for an alternative path towards a mature systemic change, the democratic completion, the socialist
transformation, a socially fair and environmentally sustainable development, according the social and
techno-economic prospects of our time.
T
TIP basically serves the four pillars of globalization, deregulation, technocratic policy and
the interests of large enterprises, providing the
appropriate framework for the creation of a single economic area between the EU and the USA. This is
accomplished by establishing procedures of technocratic rather than political nature, by minimizing the
influence of social and democratic processes, the liberalization / privatization of public services and goods
and by the total withdrawal of labor, social and environmental acquis. Moreover, the compulsory and irreversible compliance of the two parties is being foreseen, by generating processes of "horizontal" application such as the regulatory cooperation and the dispute
settlement mechanism. So the contents of the agreement are permanently sealed and dominant over
national laws.
In Greece, we are already experiencing similar impact.
In the name of debt servicing and the recovery of the
economy, the country has been implementing harsh
austerity measures and liberalization policies under the
memoranda commitments. The deregulation, the
extinction of small and medium entrepreneurship, the
reduction of social protection and the limitation of
democracy have already created a new reality.
The similarities between the two in terms of impact are
many, with TTIP appearing to be broader and introducing two key differences: First the geographical and temporary character, since TTIP foresees extensive and continuous processes, in contrast to the Memoranda that
are presented as temporary and geographically limited.
Secondly, the service to the interests of big enterprises
that brings economic impact to countries that do not
comply, constitutes a permanent threat that ensures
the strict implementation with the provisions.