An eight-metre high Trojan horse model has been erected at City Gate in Valletta today to protest against “the dangerous impacts of the secret EU-US trade agreement”, known as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Friends of the Earth Malta and their allies in the Front Against TTIP (Malta) are behind the initiative. The groups want to highlight what they believe are the hidden dangers included in the trade agreement currently being negotiated by the EU and US.

A statement by both organisations said these dangers included “secret corporate courts” that could fine the government for introducing laws to protect health, the environment or citizens’ rights; increased use of genetically modified crops; increased drilling for oil, shale gas and dirty energies and lowering food and work standards.

The symbol of the Trojan horse was used to highlight the “hidden dangers” for people and the environment contained in the trade deal.

Elena Portelli, Front against TTIP (Malta) spokeswoman said that “the US-EU trade deal is a ‘Trojan Horse Treaty’; a dangerous deal that puts the interests of big businesses before those of our society, health and the environment. This deal threatens to weaken public health and services, worker’s rights, consumer rights and animal welfare”.

Martin Galea de Giovanni, director of Friends of the Earth said: “We have to stop this Trojan horse trade deal from undoing decades of progress [in the EU] to protect consumers, our environment, and human rights.”

Friends of the Earth Malta and the Front Against TTIP Malta are calling on citizens to sign the petition against TTIP and CETA (a similar agreement with Canada) at https://stop-ttip.org/ .

The petition has already been signed by more than two million people across Europe.