On December 3, trade ministers from members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will begin three days of meetings in Bali, Indonesia. Trade Facilitation, estimated to add $1 trillion to global income, features prominently in the negotiation agenda. However, official estimates depend on too many unjustifiable assumptions. Inaccuracy accumulates in several stages of the estimation process: in estimating the gains from trade facilitation for a sample of countries, in scaling up the gains to the global level and in estimating employment gains. This brief describes the estimation procedure and shows that the resulting figures are too uncertain to underpin any policy decisions.
The Council of Canadians is pleased that the Canada-EU trade deal, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), has seen the light of day after German television show Tagesschau provided the full text online this afternoon [...]
On Tuesday August 5, the Harper government announced – via a brief news release, a teleconference call, and strangely an online video – that negotiators had finalized the 1,500-page text of a Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)[...]
The European Commission has announced that it will not allow a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) to challenge the secret trade talks it is holding with the US government, supposedly on our behalf.
Europeans are in uproar at chaotic attempts by the EU presidency to rush through 'secret courts' for investors to sue governments who try to protect their citizens and public services.
Some 400 activist groups marched all over Europe on Saturday (11 October) in protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), as the EU-US trade deal crystallises opposition to a wide variety of issues – from shale gas to corporate finance.
As previous updates - and many economists - have pointed out, the huge economic gains claimed for TTIP are largely illusory. The 119bn euros boost for the EU not only turns out to be under the most optimistic assumptions, clearly impossible to obtain now given the growing resistance to TTIP's de-regulation, but refers to 2027, and is the difference between an EU economy with TTIP and without. That means the claimed 0.5% GDP boost is actually a ten-year cumulative figure, and amounts to the rather less impressive 0.05% extra GDP on average - in mathematical terms, indistinguishable from zero given the very approximate nature of the models used to make these predictions.
The Obama administration's Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is an "assault," on working people intended to further corporate "domination," according to author and activist Noam Chomsky.
“It’s designed to carry forward the neoliberal project to maximize profit and domination, and to set the working people in the world in competition with one another so as to lower wages to increase insecurity,” Chomsky said during an interview with HuffPost Live.
Thursday 16 October 2014, WikiLeaks released a second updated version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the world's largest economic trade agreement that will, if it comes into force, encompass more than 40 per cent of the world's GDP. The IP Chapter covers topics from pharmaceuticals, patent registrations and copyright issues to digital rights. Experts say it will affect freedom of information, civil liberties and access to medicines globally.
Im Rahmen der Schwerpunktveranstaltung vom letzten Wochenende an der Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz hatten wir auch Hrn. Dr. Raza (Leiter des ÖFSE) zu einem Workshop eingeladen um die derzeit kursierenden Studien auf ihre Aussagen hin zu überprüfen. Hr. Raza hat gemeinsam mit anderen Kollegen des ÖFSE und von amerikanischen Universitäten eine Vergleichsanalyse durchgeführt, die er uns in einer äußerst interessanten Stunde präsentierte.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The promises made by NAFTA proponents and warnings issued by its opponents during the fierce 1993 debate over congressional approval of the pact can...
According to a leaked document, trade ministers from 14 EU member states wrote last week to incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, urging him not to jettison “difficult issues” like the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in the face of public opposition – “tempting as it may be” – and reminding him that he has a mandate from EU member states to include some form of ISDS in the trade negotiations with Washington.
Dieses Wörterbuch enthält ca. 90.000 Fachbegriffe und Abkürzungen (unter anderen Zeitschriftenabkürzungen) aus der Welt des Buches, der Bibliothek und der EDV.
If it goes through, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will have the most far-ranging impact on UK companies since the creation of the European Union. But, while the benefits to big business are clear, SMEs seem set to lose out.
Commissioner Malmström debated challenges and opportunities with local leaders and reassures their voice will be taken into account within negotiations
Cecilia Malmström - Commissioner for Trade
Honourable Members,
We're here today to talk about investment in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Of all the issues in TTIP it has received the most attention and raised the most concern.
In some ways that's surprising. Over 60 years, national governments in the EU negotiated 1400 bilateral investment treaties without any outcry. That network helped European companies become the largest foreign investors in the world. And the investments they made helped create the wave of prosperity that swept Europe in the post-war decades. Moreover, for the countries we partnered with, the deals encouraged much needed capital inflows and created employment.
WikiLeaks releases today the "Investment Chapter" from the secret negotiations of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreement.The TPP Investment Chapter, published today, is dated 20 January 2015. The document is classified and supposed to be kept secret for four years after the entry into force of the TPP agreement or, if no agreement is reached, for four years from the close of the negotiations.
The implications of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership for the EU and the US have been widely discussed, but the effects of the deal on third party countries have received less attention. The risks it carries for those left out could be significant and contrary to global multilateral trade objectives. In light of these risks, TTIP should seek to be as open as possible.
A senior US official rejected Monday an EU proposal to create an international investment court that was aimed at resolving one of the disputes holding up their free trade deal.
An investigation led by research and campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and journalist Stephane Horel exposes corporate lobby groups mobilising to stop the EU taking action on hormone (endocrine) disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
Critics of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership are unlikely to be silenced by an analysis of the flood of money it took to push the pact over its latest hurdle
17 secret documents from the ongoing TISA (Trade In Services Agreement) negotiations which cover the United States, the European Union and 23 other countries including Turkey, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Taiwan & Israel -- which together comprise two-thirds of global GDP.
With global trade negotiations deadlocked for years, regional agreements – long a dormant route to trade liberalization – are back with a vengeance. The United States is at the center of two mega-deals that could shape the future path of world trade.
Publicly, business lobby groups are heavily pushing the idea that TTIP will benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). But behind closed doors they admit the reality: that small companies will “face increased competition” and that “benefits remain hypothetical”.
A study by the Petersen Institute of International Economics contends harmonizing U.S.-EU safety and environmental regulations would boost the automotive trade at least 20%.
Documents back up fears that TTIP will allow tobacco giants to take legal action against the UK and other European governments who attempt to tighten smoking legislation
Nova Scotia taxpayers will be on the hook for damages coming to a New Jersey concrete company that successfully appealed the 2008 denial of its quarry proposal on Digby Neck.
An exciting new front is emerging in the battle against TTIP, harnessing the energy of grassroots groups to push opposition to the corporate power grab up the political food chain via the power of local councils. In the UK and across Europe, TTIP Free Zones are popping up like people power mushrooms.
The European Commission has approved its proposal for a new and transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states – the Investment Court System. This new system would replace the existing investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in all ongoing and future EU investment negotiations, including the EU-US talks on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
That the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been in the grip of a systemic crisis since 2008 is well known. Notwithstanding relatively minor successes at the Bali Ministerial in December 2013, the WTO's negotiating function remains effectively stalled. The Nairobi Ministerial, set to take place in December 2015, is not likely to yield systemic solutions, notably to break the Doha Round impasse. The longer this negotiating stalemate endures, the more the WTO's foundations will crumble, particularly the much-prized jewel in its crown: the Dispute Settlement System.
Should EU-US investment disputes be solved by arbitral tribunals constituted separately for each dispute, as is currently the case under most Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), or should a permanent court be established? This is one of the key questions that might kill the efforts for what would be the largest regional free-trade agreement in history, covering 46% of world GDP: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Cecilia Malmström, the European Commissioner for Trade, stressed the point again a few days ago.
A week ago, the EU Commission announced that investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) will no longer be part of its proposals on TTIP. This was the Commission’s response to public contestation and fears that such a mechanism could place unjustified constraints on democratic institutions and on the capacity of states and of the EU to preserve their regulatory autonomy. The change announced by the Commission may be a step in the right direction. But there are other reasons of concern in the current Commission proposals, which have been overshadowed by the discussion on ISDS.
United Nations Independent Expert Alfred de Zayas Thursday urged the UN system and Governments across the world to radically reform the international investment regime by putting an end to free trade and investment agreements that conflict with human rights treaty obligations.
Canada and the EU signed a deal last year. It had been kept a secret from the public right until the final stages. Once passed into law, it will allow the British government to be sued in secret tribunals by multinational Canadian and American businesses, under a system so arcane that even those who negotiated the deal have admitted that it needs to change.
Negotiations on a massive EU-U.S. trade agreement are not even halfway complete, according to a new European Commission internal assessment, and the lack of progress is raising questions about Brussels’ hopes for concluding the agreement before the end of the Obama administration.
EU Ambassador the the U.S. David O’Sullivan said Tuesday that he believes Brussels and Washington could complete their bilateral trade pact by next year, but emphasized that the talks aren’t happening in a vacuum.
I was recently granted a rare glimpse behind the official façade of the EU when I met with its Trade Commissioner in her Brussels office. I was there to discuss the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the controversial treaty currently under negotiation between the EU and the USA.
The EU has formally presented to the US its proposal for a reformed approach on investment protection and a new and more transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states: the Investment Court System.
The EU and Australia have agreed to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) during the margins of the G20 summit in Turkey, whilst also on Monday (16 November), the Council gave the go-ahead for negotiations to start on an FTA with the Philippines.
The European Union has been caught trying to undermine any meaningful outcome from the UN climate talks in Paris by instructing its representatives to block discussion of two key mechanisms that could help combat the effects of global warming: the introduction of measures to curb the negative environmental impacts of global trade, and the transfer of technology to help poorer countries in their fight against climate change.
When, in June 2011, indigenous Peruvian farmers attempted to take over a regional airport in the southern province of Chucuito, security forces opened fire. Six protestors were killed and 30 more wounded.
Farmers said they were driven to this deadly protest by fears they would be thrown off their land and that water supplies could be polluted if a proposed silver mine in the remote mountains near Lake Titicaca went ahead.
The Transatlantic Agreement on Trade and Services between the EU and the US, is one of the biggest challenges for our continent and civil society. Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP as we use to call it, aims to create a free trade zone between the US and the EU, in which products and services will move freely without economic and/or regulatory restrictions.
TTIP negotiations have been running since 2013, yet German parliamentarians have only recently been allowed to read the documents. Now, documents have been made available in a high-security reading room
The legal scrub of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is “virtually complete” and the current timeline suggests the deal will be implemented in early 2017, Canada’s chief negotiator — Steve Verheul — told the House of Commons international trade committee Tuesday morning.
The ability to enact effective and fair tax systems to finance vital public services is one of the defining features of sovereignty,' says Global Justice Now—one that is threatened by corporate trade deals.
China "takes an open attitude" toward the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade deal being negotiated between the European Union and the United States, so long as it is "open and transparent," a Chinese official said Wednesday.
Special TTIP reading room to opened for MPs
The UK government has announced its plans to open a special ‘TTIP reading room’ where MPs are able to read the negotiating texts of the controversial trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the USA – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Unite union set to present law expert’s advice to government, who they believe have kept Britain in the dark over deal’s potential impact on health service
Trade chief told oil giant in secret talks that free trade deal could address its concerns over regulations restricting activities in developing countries
America insists Europeans are not aligned to the science which proves there is absolutely no risk to consuming genetically-modified food.
But that single emotive issue could potentially bring down the €4 trillion (£3.1 trillion) Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Europe, though, is standing firm on this hugely controversial chapter of the free trade deal, and that in turn may scupper the stated ambition of both camps to have a sign-off on TTIP by the end of this year.
EXCLUSIVE / Labour rights in the US must be improved before any potential TTIP deal is signed and Brexit’s economic impact is of concern, according to the chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange. EurActiv Germany reports.
Progress was made in the latest round of TTIP talks, but negotiators have a long way to go if the deal is to be signed before Barack Obama leaves office. Michael McKeon gives a briefing on the latest developments.
For decades, free-trade agreements, called F.T.A.s, have been one of the most solid planks in the platform of economic elites and establishment politicians.
Those days may well be over. What changed?
Clinching an ambitious bilateral trade and investment pact in the near term remains a key strategic and economic priority, said the US’ and EU’s top trade officials last week, while acknowledging the ongoing uncertainty that surrounds such efforts given the American presidential election debate on the merits of trade deals and the impending “Brexit” referendum in the UK.
Did you know that two looming trade deals, if passed by Congress, would newly empower 45 of the world’s 50 largest corporate climate polluters to “sue” governments in private tribunals over policies that keep fossil fuels in the ground?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet high-level executives from some 25 multinationals on the Fortune 100 List in a bid to lure more investment to Turkey during his five-day visit to the United States. He is also expected to call for support for Turkey’s participation in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
In the past, it was easy to make the case for free trade. Free trade agreements seemed to create opportunities, help millions out of poverty, and generate growth. Today, a growing number of Europeans and Americans believe that the opposite is true. The article points out in how far TTIP should be rethought and redesigned to regain the public trust.
Today, the Council of Canadians, in partnership with the European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP and CETA, is launching CETA: Lessons from Canada, a five-minute animation. Using a technique known as “handimation”, the short video gives a comprehensive background on the controversial deal, known to many as TTIP 1.0.
The video is narrated by Maude Barlow, alternative Nobel Prize recipient and anti-globalization leader. Barlow is also an acclaimed author and chairperson of the Council of Canadians. It is based on her report: Fighting TTIP, CETA and ISDS: Lessons from Canada, which has been revised and reissued. The video and the report can be found here in English, German, French, Spanish, and Polish (report only).
The number of regional trade agreements has increased from 70 in 1990 to more than 270 today. In a new blog, Witney Schneidman argues that in certain respects, Africa is well positioned in this new era regional trade relations.
Romania will not ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada which was concluded in 2014, as an angry reaction to the refusal by Ottawa to lift the visa requirement of its nationals, but also for the lack of EU solidarity for solving the issue.
Raoul Gebert was the Chief of Staff for NDP leader Thomas Mulcair between May 2012 and January 2015. During this period (and presently) the federal NDP have lacked a clear position on the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). While they have stated they are generally opposed to 'investment protection' provisions in 'free trade' deals, they are (still) reserving judgement on CETA as a whole.
Waiting in the wings, and still being negotiated largely in secret is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The agreement, between the U.S. and the 28-nation European Union, has been formally discussed through 12 rounds of negotiations, with another round scheduled for some time this month. Both sides would like to conclude this treaty by the end of 2016.
Just days after rejecting the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in a nationwide vote, the Dutch parliament has passed a motion rejecting provisional application of the EU-Canada trade deal, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). With 44 votes for and 22 against, the Walloon parliament pushed through a resolution requesting the regional government not to grant full powers to the Belgian federal executive to sign the CETA deal .
Today the draft text of the U.S.-Europe free trade agreement, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), was leaked by Greenpeace Netherlands. The leak reveals for the first time the current state of the text of 15 chapters and annexes, along with a confidential commentary from the European Union.
If the European Commission wishes to live up to its promise to take protection of our standards seriously, it has to cut short on its spin that a deal by the end of this year is still achievable, writes Monique Goyens. Also the most important take-aways of the TTIP-leaks are shown.
The Ministry of Agriculture says it will not agree to provisions that threaten Polish farmers in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated between the European Union and the US.
The study "Impact of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the EU and the United States (TTIP) on the Republic of Croatia" is available on the website of the Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, reports liderpress.hr on May 11, 2016.
The Greek government is ready to veto the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the US and the EU unless it ensures increased protection for key agricultural geographical indicators.
The aim of the TTIP is to replace the application of national laws with special courts of referees nominated by the special interests. This includes the organization of health care. Last week Britain’s main labor union, Unite, warned that the TTIP would mean that the National Health Service would have to be wound down and privatized.
The massive opposition to TTIP in Europe should convince the EU to listen to its citizens, as the issue has the potential, in conjunction with other factors like Brexit, to bring the whole idea of the Union into question, writes Nomi Byström.
Geschäftliche Lagerhalle bringt Kosten für eine Firma ein. Da der Bedarf an Flächen zu verschiedenen Zeiten unterschiedlich groß sein kann, wäre es unwirtschaftlich, dauernd die höchstmögliche Deponierungshalle für einen größtmöglichen Gebrauch vorzuhalten. Andersherum kann während der Spitzenzeiten auf die Schnelle zusätzlicher Flächenbedarf entstehen, auch für den Fall, dass für den durchschnittlichen Geschäftsbedarf hinreichend Platz zur Verfügung steht. Falls dies der Fall ist, empfiehlt sich für Unternehmen insbesondere die Anmietung eines preisgünstigen Lagerraumes von Alster Lager für die gewerbliche Nutzung.
If you needed proof that trade agreements are just an excuse to hand big business power at our expense, look no further than Ceta, a deal between the EU and Canada
(Reuters) - The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will urge EU leaders at a summit next month to back free trade talks with the United States in the face of growing scepticism in member states.
New Docs reveal trade deal negotiations have gone 'very far from legitimate trade concerns into the territory of a sweeping deregulatory political agenda.'
Warning against dangers to “workers, communities and our environment,” more than 450 environmental advocacy groups called on Congress to reject the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
M. Rebenko. Philological and Pedagogical Studies: Proceedings of the 5th International Scientific and Practical Online Conference Philological and Pedagogical Studies in 21st Century National and International Science, (2022)