European Association for the Education of Adults: EAEA urges Commissioner Malmström to exclude adult education from TTIP
The European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) has sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, to express its concerns about the inclusion of ‘private’ adult learning and ‘other education services’ as a subject for ongoing EU-US trade negotiations (the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership – TTIP), along with other public services.
EAEA believes that the inclusion of adult education in TTIP negotiations poses potentially serious risks for education policy, for public schools and other educational institutions, and for teachers, students and communities in both the EU and the US.
If education is covered in TTIP, the consequences could be serious. Rules governing market access could restrict the ability of the US and the EU member states to limit the entry and regulate the quality of private and for-profit schools and institutions. Any measure adopted by a public body to promote high quality standards in licensing and accreditation processes could potentially be interpreted as a ;disguised barrier to trade’ or ‘more trade burdensome than necessary’.
While EAEA welcomes recent efforts made to consult with civil society organisations as TTIP negotiations progress, much more should be done to ensure greater transparency. An effective and meaningful consultation process with all affected stakeholders has to be developed.
EAEA letter to Commissioner Malmström on TTIP and education.
