12.06.13
Roman Catholic Church Joins Opposition to ‘Trade’ Agreements
Summary: The Church which claims to have 1.2 billion members is expressing dissatisfaction and opposition to TPP and TAFTA/TTIP
GLYN Moody has been keeping an eye on TPP for quite some time (we too covered it). Yesterday he noted that even the Holy See (the Pope) is now weighing in, antagonising TPP and the likes of it. It is common to find opposition to TPP from Australian [2] and European [3] people’s groups (ACTA booster Karel de Gucht is at it again), unlike from big business groups, so the involvement by the Roman Catholic Church is unusual. Since the Catholic Church cab mobilise many people, perhaps this — unlike activism from us geeks — can assure that people will be up in arms in the streets (like in the days of ACTA, just before it got defeated). █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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Holy See (The Pope) Criticizes TPP And TAFTA/TTIP In WTO Speech
The statement then goes on to criticize the move away from multilateral trade agreements of the kind traditionally drawn up at the WTO, to new-style “mega-regional trade agreements”, routinely negotiated in secret:
Currently there is a clear tendency to further enlarge these RTAs [Regional Trade Agreements] to form mega-regional trade agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Certainly, the enlargement of regional trade agreements is a step towards further trade liberalization but we have to bear in mind that these agreements inevitably threaten the desirability to reach an agreement on a truly multilateral basis. In fact, by entering a regional trade agreement a country reduces the incentives to extend its efforts on trade liberalization at a multilateral level.
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CHOICE slams TPP, the nasty secret trade treaty
Australian consumer advocate, CHOICE, will be running a newspaper ad campaign slamming the secret TPP trade treaty that some say threatens to trade Australians’ rights away in favour of US corporate interests.
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EU Commissioner Defends Investor-State Provisions; NGOs Propose “Alternative Trade Mandate”
European Union Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht today (27 November) defended the inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement provision in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). De Gucht argued the out-of-court settlements allowing private sector to sue governments were necessary because the TTIP would not per se give EU companies a standing in US courts.
[...]
De Gucht assured the INTA Committee in today’s session that the Parliament would enjoy the same transparency as the Council of Ministers of the EU, yet the US was concerned about potential leaks of papers. Asked if there had been pressure to not share US negotiating positions with member states, de Gucht answered evasively.
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