By 27 votes in favor, ten once morest and one abstention, the Senate Chamber approved the TPP11, leaving it in a position to be promulgated by the Executive, accompanied by pressure from the opposition to make it “as soon as possible.” The Government assures that La Moneda will take its time in the midst of the bilateral negotiations and the annoyance of Approve Dignidad for the rejection of the two “interpretative declarations” that they put on the table.
At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, there was a solitary and persistent applause in the Senate Chamber while Senator José Miguel Insulza (PS), acting as accidental president of the upper house, read the final approval of the Comprehensive and Progressive Treaty of Trans-Pacific Partnership , known as TPP11. It was a predictable result.
Senator Ricardo Lagos Weber (PPD), one of the main promoters of the agreement on the center left, said that this vote was “a state of the art” of what had been happening since April 17, 2019, the week in which the vote of TPP11 reached the Senate.
There were 35 legislative urgencies but no voterequests for a second discussion, expert debates once morest and in favor, withdrawal requests, interpretative declarations and even a bilateral negotiation that continues.
Lagos Weber stated that in all this time the positions and the majorities were more or less the same, entering the debate of the times: Congress has already done its part, but now he trusts that La Moneda will specify the final deadline within a reasonable time.
Annoyance in the ruling party for approval of the TPP11
I approve Dignity raised its position from the beginning.
Senator Daniel Núñez (PC) said that he would do everything to delay the vote.
For his part, Juan Ignacio Latorre (RD) stated that nothing would make them change their contrary position.
Claudia Pascual (PC) questioned why they always have to defend their position, when Chile already has Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with the members of the transpacific agreement.
I approve Dignity also put on the table two interpretative declarationsnon-binding suggestions for the Government to consider.
These established that the Chapter 9 Investor-State Dispute Resolution are always interpreted unrestrictedly in favor of the State.
The second, meanwhile, pointed out that in the Chapter 17, on State-Owned Enterprisesthe free and sovereign choice of economic and industrial policies is always favored.
Senator Alejandra Sepúlveda (FRVS) described as an error that the Senate rejected these declarations by 22 votes once morest and eight in favor and warned that this treaty will bring problems to Chile in the future.
In the opposition they were calm and satisfied.
In the bloc they always knew that they had the majority to approve the treaty and they perceive a government that is aware that it needs a good climate with them to advance its legislative agenda.
The president of the National Renewal, Senator Francisco Chahuán, called on the Government to ratify the treaty “as soon as possible”making the so-called ‘deposit’ to New Zealand, the articulating country of the agreement.
Chancellor: is TPP11 good or bad for Chile?
The Chancellor Antonia Urrejola recognized a long day for his ministry, instance in which he was asked if the TPP11 is good or bad for Chile.
The minister replied that “There is a set of sensitivities that we have to take care of, the important thing is to respect the will of Congress”.
Urrejola recalled that the road ahead is nothing new, pointing out that for the agreement with the European community, Chile took two years between the approval and promulgation of the Pacific Alliance agreement.
To this he added that the same thing happened with the San Salvador Protocol on Human Rights in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Urrejola said that bilateral negotiations with member countries will continue to make changes to the conditions of chapter 9 and that, although Congress has the power to approve this, La Moneda also has its powers.
And now what with the TPP1?
The Government must return to Congress as the bilateral letters are answered.
Minister Urrejola did not specify how many have received a response or what is the minimum estimated to make the deposit, but these initiatives would be discussed in the form of projects.
The ball is in the court of the Executive, in the understanding that the opposition will give what would be “a reasonable time” to La Moneda before beginning to press, without completely extinguishing a noise in the ruling party that asks to review, modify and until withdrawing the agreement that has already been approved.
Although the expectation was greater in the previous days, finally regarding fifty people gathered yesterday, Tuesday, at the Victoria access of the National Congress with banners and canvases that read “NO to TPP11”.
At regarding 4:00 p.m., the former presidential candidate, Eduardo Artés, arrived with a group of protesters while singing “Boric, Piñera, the same wallet.”
Artés was relentless, calling the Government a “coward”, subjected to transnational companies and pointing out that this treaty takes away development possibilities for the country.
