Few people know that the European member states taken as a whole is one of the biggest arms exporters in the world. On the international stage Europe likes to present itself as a continent that stands for democracy and peace, but this façade does not correspond to reality.
Did you know that the EU wants to allocate more than 40 billion euros to the research, development and procurement of new arms? That the arms industry is trying to hijack the European Defence policy? Read all about it on this page.
In sum the draft confirms the will to impose greater regulatory "convergence" and "harmonization" of future regulations between the EU and the US in the only interest of transnational corporations and the financial industry. The vagueness of the draft would allow the Commission great freedom to achieve this. Social, labour and environmental rights in both sides of the Atlantic are under fire.
EurActiv 10 janvier 2014 Lors d'un débat au Sénat, l'ensemble des partis a émis de vives critiques à l'encontre du Partenariat Transatlantique en négociation avec les Etats-Unis. La ministre en charge du Commerce extérieure, Nicole Bricq, le souligne non sans dépit. C'est surtout en France que l'on constate une mobilisation sur ce que les français appellent le « traité » transatlantique. Chevènement: "On ne peut pas parler de libre-échange lors les parités passent de 1 à 2 entre l'euro et le dollar en l'espace d'une décennie seulement " Marie-Noëlle Lienemann, sénatrice PS: "« Je suis très hostile à ce traité » a d’emblée prévenu l’ex-député européenne. « Force est de constater que la mondialisation heureuse n'a pas eu lieu ! Nous sommes dans une logique où les firmes multinationales ne sont pas dans une situation que nous pouvons réguler a-t-elle indiqué.
BRUSSELS (AFP) – A long-awaited trade deal between the European Union and the United States could be in jeopardy over allegations that Washington bugged EU offices, European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding warned.
European Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström has made a bad choice in appointing Jan Eric Frydman as Special Adviser on EU-US Trade Policy. Frydman, whose ongoing work for Swedish law firm Ekenberg & Andersson creates potential conflicts of interest, has a strong pro-ISDS background and a tricky revolving door history. He's part of the problem, not the solution.
Einer NGO-Analyse zufolge könnte das EU-Japan-Handelsabkommen den Einfluss von Lobbyisten auf die Politik stärken – durch so genannte regulatorische Kooperation.
Handel: CETA, TTIP, TiSA, JEFTA & Co.
„Panikmache“, „Desinformation“, „Anti-Amerikanismus“: Als Konzernlobbyisten die Argumente gegen die Kritik an TTIP und CETA ausgingen, versuchten einige von ihnen, die handelskritische Bewegung mit anderen Mitteln zu diskreditieren. Das zeigt unser neuer Bericht „Blaming the Messenger“, den wir gemeinsam mit unserer Partnerorganisation Corporate Europe Observatory veröffentlicht haben. Bei den Diffamierungen machten Lobbyisten vor dreisten, unhaltbaren Unterstellungen, wie etwa der Finanzierung der Bewegung durch Russland, nicht halt. Andere Vorwürfe lauteten, die zivilgesellschaftlichen Akteure seien „Anti-Amerikanisch“, verfolgten finanzielle Interessen oder betrieben das Geschäft von Populisten und Nationalisten. Besorgniserrend: Die EU-Kommission übernahm teilweise den Ton der Konzernlobbyisten.
Das Handelsabkommen CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) zwischen der EU und Kanada landet nun doch noch vor den EU-Richtern. Belgien werde den Europäischen Gerichtshof (EuGH) in Luxemburg ersuchen zu entscheiden, ob der in CETA geschaffene Investitionsgerichtshof (ICS) EU-Recht widerspricht, teilte Attac Österreich am Mittwoch mit.
A new treaty being negotiated in secret between the US and the EU has been specifically engineered to give companies what they want — the dismantling of all social, consumer and environmental protection, and compensation for any infringement of their assumed rights. by Lori M Wallach
Marietje Shaake: "I am the spokesperson for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) on TTIP. This FAQ will answer the main questions and sets out my priorities for TTIP. Please check out this page regularly as I will update it as the process evolves. I will also use this page to ask for your input and ideas, whether it’s on public procurement, foreign direct investment (FDI) protection, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), quality of beef or the convergence of technical standards for new IT devices or cars, etc."
BRUSSELS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Transparency campaigners have hauled the European Union's executive to court for withholding documents about free trade talks with India, intensifying pressure on the bloc to make its policy-making less secretive. The lawsuit, lodged with the EU's second-highest court on Tuesday, accuses the EU Commission of breaking transparency and democracy rules by refusing to disclose to campaigners details of plans shared with EU industry on how to open Indian markets.
BRI, Shipping, "From Zeebrugge and Liège to the ports of Italy, Spain and France and to the Eastern part of the continent, Chinese corporations and the Belt & Road Initiative are accelerating the development of infrastructure megacorridors, putting trade in front of people and planet." "There is also the question of how the rest of the world will react to this new restructured global capital and the even more pervasive issue of accessing the last remaining natural resources. Is the trade war, which is very much about technology, only the beginning of a more serious conflict?
Jos EU:n sopimuksiin Yhdysvaltojen ja Kanadan kanssa sisältyy investointisuoja, ulkomaisille sijoittajille avautuu mahdollisuus toimia kansallisen lainsäädännön vastaisesti. Markus Kröger (Suomen Akatemian tutkijatohtori Helsingin yliopistossa)., HS Vieraskynä 31.10.2013: "... lyhyessä ajassa on syntynyt joukko mittavia voittoja tekeviä lakiasiaintoimistoja, jotka etsivät aktiivisesti asiakkaita syytteiden nostamiseksi hallituksia vastaan... Investointisuoja tekee mahdolliseksi kansainvälisen korvausvaatimuksen, vaikka esimerkiksi kaivos rikkoisi paikallista ympäristölainsäädäntöä tai kaikki maan asukkaat olisivat hanketta vastaan ja onnistuisivat pysäyttämään sen."
Par Zaki Laïdi, directeur de recherche au Centre d'études européennes de Sciences Po, Le monde 15.3.2013: " Les Etats-Unis ont fait le choix politique de tirer un trait sur le multilatéralisme, et Obama n'a fait qu'amplifier ce mouvement. L'Europe doit-elle forcément les suivre dans cette voie sans l'assumer politiquement et sans en mesurer toutes les implications ?" "Si cet accord venait à voir le jour rapidement, il faut tout d'abord prendre conscience qu'il mettra à terre le système commercial multilatéral organisé autour de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC)."
more than 93% of the Commission’s meetings with stakeholders during the preparations of the negotiations were with big business. The list of meetings reveals that, in addition to the civil society dialogue meetings reported on the DG Trade website, there is a parallel world of a very large number of intimate meetings with big business lobbyists behind closed doors - and these are not disclosed online.