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IPEF agreement on clean economy (Mar 2024)
Romania wins legal battle against a Canadian miner over failed plans to open a gold mine
The Romanian government has won a years long legal dispute with a Canadian mining company seeking damages over failed plans to open a gold and silver mine in the Eastern European country.
The two faces of free trade
Whereas free trade was once the central cause of progressive reformers seeking to combat entrenched interests on behalf of ordinary people, now it is the bête noire of both right-wing nationalists and the mainstream left. To understand why attitudes changed so radically, one must follow the money.
European Parliament backs deeper political and economic ties with Chile
MEPs approved the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement and its complementing deal on trade and investment liberalisation.
EU-Mercosur deal breaches climate laws - new legal analysis
A new legal analysis shows that the EU-Mercosur would not comply with existing EU and international law, because it is expected to lead to an overall rise in greenhouse gas emissions and increased deforestation.
Environmental groups say government’s plans breach free trade agreement
A coalition of environment groups says New Zealand is breaching its free trade deal with the United Kingdom by rolling back environmental laws.
‘Litigation terrorism’: the obscure tool that corporations are using against green laws
Investor-State Dispute Settlements are legal, huge and often hush-hush – and fossil fuel firms and others are using them to hold the planet to ransom.
EU announces new ‘interpretation’ of Canada trade deal in bid to ensure ratification
The European Commission and Canada have agreed on the “interpretation” of parts of their trade agreement that relate to investor protection from environmental regulation, in a push by Brussels to persuade member states to ratify the bilateral multibillion-euro deal.
The time is right to finally drop the EU-Mercosur deal
Friends of the Earth Europe, Eurogroup for Animals and the European Trade Justice Coalition (ETJC) share European farmers’ frustration over having to compete with imported products exempt from the EU environmental, labour and animal welfare standards.
How a US mining firm sued Mexico for billions – for trying to protect its own seabed
Local fishers helped halt underwater mining off Baja California’s coast in 2018. But then an obscure international legal process was put into motion.
Ecuador-China free trade agreement poses serious environmental risks, critics say
The focus of concern has been the waste that Ecuador would receive from China, including pharmaceutical products, electrical parts, batteries, scrap metal, single-use plastics, glass and contaminated liquids.
Their mines ruined communities. Now they want compensation
In Colombia, lawsuits by foreign corporations are obstructing a fossil fuel phase-out at the expense of the indigenous Wayúu community.
A climate-denier Milei and a hypocritical EU-Mercosur pact
In the rush to finalise the controversial EU-Mercosur trade deal before the European elections in June this year, its promoters appear willing to shake hands with Argentina’s new far-right president, Javier Milei — a known climate change denier.
The EU-Mercosur deal would be a setback for people and planet – let’s put it in the past
Time to call off this deal. Free-traders have been pushing desperately but the mobilisation for the environment and social rights has worked and the Commission has been unable to sign the deal this autumn.
What happens when a country says ‘no’ to mining?
The battle between a Canadian mining company and Panama over one of the richest copper-gold mines in the Americas is headed to international arbitration – exposing Canada’s double standard when it comes to promoting free trade in the Global South.
Panama sued by 3+ mining companies after supreme court rules mining contract unconstitutional
Panama is facing at least three Investor-State Dispute Settlement cases from mining investors who claim that their investments have been affected by the decision.
Countries risk ’paying polluters’ billions to regulate for climate: UN expert
An "explosion" of multibillion-dollar claims by fossil fuel and extractive firms through shadowy investment tribunals is blocking action on climate and nature.
LNG firm’s $20-billion lawsuit against Canada exposes NAFTA’s toxic legacy
A company launched a record-breaking NAFTA lawsuit against Canada — confirming the dire threat that investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) poses to bold climate action.
Can existing international agreements on ‘investment facilitation’ advance sustainable development, climate action, and human rights?
Terminating investment treaties and withdrawing advance consent to ISDS would allow governments to clear the path from problematic treaties centered on investment protection and ISDS, which in practice benefit unsustainable investment.
Who knew Queensland’s richest man is a foreign investor?
Clive Palmer’s controversial legal strategies challenge Australia’s trade agreements and environmental laws, and have profound implications for global climate action.