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The proposed EU-US free trade agreement and the NHS
20-Sep-2013 International Viewpoint
This treaty, if passed, would represent an enormous challenge to public-owned health services across Europe.
Did Obama administration duck smoking issue in free trade talks? Sherrod Brown suggests so
13-Sep-2013 Plain Dealer
US Senator Sherrod Brown is challenging the Obama administration’s handling of the tobacco issue in the TPP
US’s controversial TPP proposal is smoking gun for corporate agenda
3-Sep-2013 Tanh Nien News
Vietnam and other countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations face aggressive interference from Big Tobacco in the passage and implementation of public health policies, critics warn
Trans-Pacific Partnership talks hit roadblock over anti-smoking policies
25-Aug-2013
Fast-moving trade talks aimed at reaching an ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal have hit a major snag over anti-smoking policies, as divisions emerged over a proposal critics say would expose governments to lawsuits from tobacco companies.
The deadly cost of secret free trade deals
8-Aug-2013
Once again, our government is negotiating a trade deal in secret — and once again, the chorus of “free market” fundamentalists is assuring us that what’s good for lining corporate pockets must be good for us all.
Toxic trade deal: Friends of the Earth decries industry efforts to weaken regulation of chemicals associated with breast cancer, autism, infertility
26-Jul-2013 FOE
Statements made at a US government hearing by the American Chemistry Council, the trade association of multinational chemical companies lobbying for the US-EU trade deal, highlight the risks to public health, report Friends of the Earth
TPPA: NGOs want medical and tobacco business excluded in free trade talks
20-Jul-2013
Malaysia should exclude medical and tobacco businesses in the ongoing free trade talks under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Philip Morris International welcomes decision by World Bank tribunal to hear treaty challenge to Uruguay’s excessive tobacco measures
3-Jul-2013 National Post
Philip Morris International (PMI) welcomed the decision by a World Bank arbitration tribunal to hear a claim that Uruguay violated multiple provisions of its Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with Switzerland.
PMI awaits jurisdiction ruling in Uruguay bilateral investment treaty litigation
19-Jun-2013 Tobacco Reporter
Philip Morris International expects a decision to be made this month or next on a challenge by Uruguay as to whether an international tribunal set to hear bilateral investment treaty complaints has jurisdiction over the matter.
Slovak assets seized in dispute between state and Achmea
30-May-2013 Slovak Spectator
A Luxembourg court has ordered the sequestration of €29.5 million of assets owned by the Slovak Republic as part of a legal action brought against Slovakia by the Dutch company Achmea.
Consumer groups worry US-EU trade pact will weaken health, privacy regulations
30-May-2013 Euronews
US consumer groups raised concerns on Wednesday about the proposed free trade agreement between the US and the EU, which they said could weaken government health, environmental and food safety regulations and undermine privacy on the Internet.
Coup d’etat to trade seen in billionaire toxic lead fight
28-May-2013 Bloomberg
Most of La Oroya’s children suffer elevated lead levels, according to the Peruvian government. Parents say some have symptoms — consistent with lead poisoning — that include anemia, convulsions, stunted growth, mental retardation.
Programs to train foreign nurses still falling short
30-Mar-2013
With its rapidly aging population, Japan will need to increasingly rely on help provided by foreign health care workers.
New hospital in Shenzhen fails to impress Cepa critics
27-Mar-2013
Critics of Hong Kong’s free-trade deal with the mainland maintained their reservations about the scheme as the first wholly Hong Kong-owned hospital in Shenzhen opened yesterday.
Plain packaging for cigarettes a legal minefield
18-Feb-2013
Lawsuits are seen as the inevitable next step if plain packaging of cigarettes is brought in. The government will announce a decision on the matter in the next few days.
Hearings to start in Uruguay anti-smoking
11-Feb-2013
Uruguay faces its first hearings in the French capital this week in a lawsuit filed by US tobacco giant Philip Morris International against its anti-smoking laws, an official said on Monday.
USTR working to develop new text on IP and health in the TPP
24-Jan-2013 Infojustice
USTR has begun an “internal review of the controversial pharmaceutical patent proposal that U.S. trade officials tabled” earlier in the TPP negotiations.
Hazards in Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs): Investors’ rights v. public health
6-Dec-2012 South Centre
Developing countries that have signed BITs should start a process of review and eventual renegotiation or denunciation, writes Carlos Correa
EU seeks stiff rules on free trade deal
26-Nov-2012
The European Union wants Canada to agree to compensate European companies for any losses that stem from changes to health, environment or safety rules in Canada, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.
Big Tobacco warning at free-trade talks
11-Sep-2012
Delegates attending trans-Pacific free-trade negotiations in the United States are being warned their countries could end up like Australia if they agree to allow corporations to sue governments in international courts.