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News from the movements

Trade agreements privatising biodiversity
15-Jul-2021 GRAIN
For the past 30 years, industrialised countries have been forcing governments of the global South to adopt laws that privatise seeds, mainly through free trade agreements.
Unpacking an empty box? The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment
15-Jul-2021 SOMO
The recent tit-for-tat sanctions between the EU and China have cast a shadow over the deal’s future and frozen talks for the time being. But if the agreement reaches the finish line, what is at stake?
Defending access to medicines in regional trade agreements: lessons from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
14-Jul-2021 Globalization and Health
This paper examines civil society and health actors’ views of the conditions that successfully contributed to the removal of these measures in RCEP, with a focus on intellectual property and access to medicines.
More than 400 civil society organisations say: Leave the ECT by COP26
6-Jul-2021 S2B Network
More than 400 are calling on political leaders across all European countries to prioritise climate policies, to stick to their climate commitments, and therefore to initiate withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty by COP26.
US$15 billion ISDS claim against USA over Keystone XL oil pipeline cancellation
5-Jul-2021 AFTINET
TC Energy has lodged a US$15 billion Investor-State Dispute Settlement claim against the US government.
Toxic fracking vs. Slovenian democracy
30-Jun-2021 CEO
Amid the climate and environmental emergency, a British oil and gas company is threatening to sue Slovenia for requiring an environmental impact assessment for a controversial gas fracking project.
Yet another step toward intransparent, undemocratic trade
30-Jun-2021 Power Shift
EU Commission will propose to split the already problematic EU-Mexico trade agreement
Corporate power and abuse is a root cause of migration
29-Jun-2021 People’s World
To seriously address the roots and causes of migration, it is urgent to dismantle the neoliberal rules which grant excessive privileges to transnational corporations.
Conquering EU courts? Big business lobbies in secret for new legal privileges in the EU
29-Jun-2021 CEO
Business lobby groups started lobbying the European Commission to create a new parallel justice system, similar to the old intra-EU BITs, but compatible with EU law.
Publication of Australia-UK FTA Agreement in Principle and exclusion of ISDS welcome, but still much we don’t know
28-Jun-2021 AFTINET
The agreement in-principle does not give detailed information about the up to 30 chapters which are still being negotiated behind closed doors, and the full text will not be released until after it is signed.
In honour of Aziz Choudry
2-Jun-2021 bilaterals.org
The teams at GRAIN and bilaterals.org are extremely sad to share the news that we have lost a great comrade and friend, Aziz Choudry.
Final UK FTA talks on corporate rights to sue governments alarm community groups
31-May-2021 AFTINET
We call on the Australian Government to exclude ISDS from the Australia-UK FTA as has been done in the Australia-EU FTA and the RCEP.
In memory of Heesob Nam, a patent attorney who fought against vaccine inequality until the end
31-May-2021 Kyunghyang
Heesob Nam, a patent attorney who dedicated his life to preventing the monopoly of ’intellectual property’ by a few, passed away on May 10th.
Tech liability shield has no place in trade deals, groups say
27-May-2021 Bloomberg
The organizations said including a legal shield for tech companies in trade deals “reflects a broad effort by the big tech platforms to use ‘trade negotiations’ to limit domestic policy options.”
New Zealand is overdue for an open and honest debate about 21st-century trade relations
19-May-2021 The Conversation
The CPTPP risks becoming another merry-go-round in the largely secretive circus of free trade agreements. Countries seem willing to climb on board without prior public scrutiny or any compelling rationale.
Unmasking the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
12-May-2021 GRAIN
CPEC is an essential component of the Belt and Road Initiative, intended on creating new production sites and trade routes to connect China better with the rest of the world.
EU exports of banned pesticides fuelling death & destruction in Mercosur
11-May-2021 The Left in the European Parliament
The EU has exported 7000 tonnes of deadly pesticides – banned domestically – to Mercosur countries in 2018-2019, a study published by the Left group in the European Parliament has found.
Thailand postpones CPTPP signing for 50 more days
10-May-2021 Pattaya Mail
Following the hashtag #NOCPTPP trending due to resistance directed at Thailand’s participation in the CPTPP, it has been explained that the Cabinet has only agreed to grant the Prime Minister another 50 days to consider the issue to ensure thoroughness.
US return to Trans-Pacific trade deal would open large can of worms for NZ
7-May-2021 Newsroom
If all the seemingly insurmountable barriers are overcome and the US decides to reactivate the original Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, would there be another groundswell of opposition? You betcha.
EFTA-Mercosur: another low blow to climate, peoples’ rights and food sovereignty
5-May-2021 GRAIN
Emissions from increased bilateral trade in 10 farm products are expected to go up by 15%, compared to 2019, if the EFTA-Mercosur free trade agreement is implemented.