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sovereignty | democracy

The for-profit city that might come crashing down
29-Aug-2024 New York Times
The dream of Próspera, founded by a US corporation off the coast of Honduras, was to escape government control. The Honduran government wants it gone but Próspera filed an astronomical $10.775 billion lawsuit against the state.
Stop burdening people at the end of the term, Mr. President!
23-Jul-2024 Bilaterals.org
A total of 37 organizations and 29 people conveyed their urge to President Joko Widodo via open letter to stop negotiations between Indonesia - European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EU CEPA). This demand was conveyed after Indonesia completed the 19th round of negotiations on 1-5 July 2024 behind closed doors.
When investors subvert states
18-Jul-2024 The Jordan Times
Imagine a scenario where a private company effectively creates and controls its own jurisdiction within a sovereign country. This company introduces its own currency, enacts laws, and establishes courts, prisons, police forces and even intelligence services.
How investment treaties undermine the voices of local communities
20-Jun-2024 Erasmus Magazine
Dispute settlements in international investment law protect the rights of companies. However, they suppress the voice of local communities, as Stephanie Triefus found in her PhD research.
How the fast-track law could expose future NZ governments to expensive trade disputes
10-May-2024 The Conversation
Foreign investors wanting to protect their gains under the controversial new law could hold the country to ransom by threatening a dispute. As a result, they would constrain New Zealand’s democratic ability to exercise its sovereignty, and to protect te Tiriti rights.
Why people of Ecuador were right to keep the corporate courts out
29-Apr-2024 Common Dreams
In a referendum, Ecuador voted to keep its constitutional ban on using international arbitration and investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms.
Between sovereignty and corporate interests: what is at stake in the Ecuadorian referendum?
21-Apr-2024 Bilaterals.org
On 21 April 2024, the government of Daniel Noboa is holding a referendum in Ecuador to amend the country’s constitution and, in particular, to reactivate the dangerous investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.
After 30 Years of NAFTA, the Working Classes Are Still Losing
1-Mar-2024 The Nation
Thirty years after NAFTA came into effect in 1994, the economic data suggests a somber conclusion: The three countries’ working classes are worse off today than they were before
How people power forced the UK to leave the Energy Charter Treaty
27-Feb-2024 Global Justice Now
On 22 February 2024 the UK announced it will leave the climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty.
Honduras is fighting back against corporate colonialism
24-Nov-2023 Tribune
American billionaires are suing the Honduran government for blocking the creation of a libertarian city-state in the country. If they win, it will be a devastating victory for corporate colonialism over democracy.
Expiration of the EU/Morocco fishing agreement: Brussels and Rabat face legal reality
20-Jul-2023 Sahara Press Service
The EU-Morocco fisheries agreement, illegally extended to occupied Western Sahara, is due to expire on Monday with no negotiations in sight for a possible renewal, pending a final decision by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) at the end of the year.
Stand with the people of Honduras against corporate greed
30-Jun-2023 Public Citizen
We stand in solidarity with the people of Honduras and condemn US company Próspera’s $11 billion case against the will of the people.
Honduras advocates to defend its territorial integrity
2-Jun-2023 Prensa Latina
This is related to the complaint made the day before by government functionaries on the absence of legality in the litigation that the ICSID opened on the case of the Employment and Economic Development Zone (ZEDE) against the Government.
209 Civil Society Organisations say: EU trade deals must not undermine democratic rights
24-Nov-2022 S2B Network
We civil society organizations vehemently oppose the splitting of trade deals, which would circumvent existing concerns about the negative implications of these deals on biodiversity, climate change and human rights issues.
LNP secrecy deal for Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) challenges Labor policy for trade transparency
4-Oct-2022 AFTINET
The US Trade Representative Office has confirmed that it signed secrecy agreements with Australia and 12 other members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in April 2022.
100+ civil society groups ask White House for transparency in IPEF deal
25-Jul-2022 Public Citizen
Public, congressional input is essential to prevent another TPP.
Honduran government repeals ZEDEs law amid warnings of free trade agreement rights and arbitration
2-May-2022 Peace Brigades International Canada
The ZEDEs are free from import and export taxes, but could set up their own internal forms of government, as well as courts, security forces, schools and even social security systems.
North African standoff: How the Western Sahara conflict is fuelling new tensions between Morocco and Algeria
11-Apr-2022 European Council on Foreign Relations (ecfr.eu)
Tensions between Morocco and Algeria have risen lately, and there is now a heightened risk of armed conflict arising and the escalation is rooted in the dispute over the status of Western Sahara.
foodwatch submits complaint to the European Ombudsman against CETA
2-Dec-2021 Foodwatch
The complaint addresses the lack of transparency and democratic deficits of the CETA committees’ work.
Jane Kelsey: Such a good free trade greement with the UK, we aren’t allowed to read it
25-Oct-2021 NZ Herald
With the release of an Agreement in Principle for a New Zealand United Kingdom free trade agreement we are once again left shadow boxing with a deal whose text we aren’t allowed to see.