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News from the movements

EU breaks deadlock on the ECT, announces exit
4-Mar-2024 Friends of the Earth Europe
Today marks a significant turning point as the Belgian EU Presidency brokered a deal with the European Commission and member states on the withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Free Trade Agreements are Failed Trade Agreements. An alternative is now urgent and necessary
27-Feb-2024 La Via Campesina
La Via Campesina’s Statement and Open call for Endorsement
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.
Billion-dollar exposure: Investor-state dispute settlement in Mozambique’s fossil fuel sector
23-Feb-2024 Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Mozambique faces a substantial economic risk due to its exposure to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) claims by foreign investors in its coal, oil, and gas sectors. The investment protections in the country’s international investment agreements and contracts, combined with ISDS, expose Mozambique to multi-billion-dollar financial liabilities.
Suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement!
14-Feb-2024
In light of the deaths and suffering endured by the Palestinian people, a number of civil society organisations came together to draft a letter to European Union decision makers seeking the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
New patent rules in India-UK trade agreement will prioritise pharmaceutical profit over public health
13-Feb-2024 AFTINET
The “TRIPS-Plus” provisions in the India-UK Agreement are a dangerous attempt to increase the power of pharmaceutical companies by placing profits before public health.
"We call upon Members of European Parliament to vote against the EU-Kenya EPA"
8-Feb-2024 Collectif Stop CETA Mercosur
In an open letter signed by over thirty organisations from Kenya and the EU, civil society groups call on MEPs to vote against the agreement.
ECVC demands from Place du Luxembourg, Brussels: End free trade agreements and ensure fair prices for farmers
2-Feb-2024 European Coordination Via Campesina
Hundreds of farmers from European Coordination Via Campesina have assembled with their tractors in Place du Luxembourg, Brussels, alongside more than 30 civil society organisations to call for an end to the EU-Mercosur deal and other free trade agreements.
The time is right to finally drop the EU-Mercosur deal
2-Feb-2024 Friends of the Earth Europe
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.
International Chamber of Commerce former arbitrator says ISDS has “lost battle of public opinion” and “legitimacy”
1-Feb-2024 AFTINET
To maintain the system, he proposes that business should shift away from ISDS in state-to state trade and investment agreements, and instead move to ISDS in contracts between individual investors and states.
Interim analysis of JSI E-commerce Chairs’ text 15 January 2024, INF/ECOM/85
30-Jan-2024
The 15 January 2024 chair’s text (INF/ECOM/85) for the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on electronic commerce is to be discussed in a round from 30 January to 2 February 2024.
Explainer: The different types of investor-state dispute settlement
26-Jan-2024 bilaterals.org
What type of ISDS arbitration has been the most used by corporations? Why is it important to understand the different forms of ISDS?
Rejection of free trade agreements and the demand for a decent income at the heart of farmers’ mobilizations in Europe
26-Jan-2024 La Via Campesina
We demand an immediate end to negotiations on the FTA with MERCOSUR countries and a moratorium on all other FTAs currently being negotiated.
100+ organisations call on MEPs to vote against EU-Chile Deal
24-Jan-2024 S2B Network
As concerned members of European civil society organizations and trade unions, we write to urgently draw your attention to the upcoming vote on the EU-Chile advanced framework agreement.
Pakistan agrees to new ISDS provisions, despite previous policy to terminate ISDS agreements
23-Jan-2024 AFTINET
Pakistan’s previous policy, initiated in 2021, sought to terminate its bilateral investment treaties to avoid further ISDS cases by international investors.
Letter: Civil society calls on UK Prime Minister to ensure UK-India free trade agreement does not threaten access to affordable medicines
23-Jan-2024 MSF
MSF and over 50 UK-based civil society organisations and individuals sent this open letter to United Kingdom Prime Minister, urging him to commit that the UK-India Free Trade Agreement will not gut the public health safeguards that are in India’s intellectual property laws.
A climate-denier Milei and a hypocritical EU-Mercosur pact
22-Jan-2024 Friends of the Earth Europe
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.
Australia announces trade deal negotiations with UAE, despite human rights and labour concerns
16-Jan-2024 AFTINET
Critics have highlighted that the UAE is only Australia’s 19th largest trading partner, and have said that the economic benefits are outweighed by the reputational risk Australia takes by implicitly endorsing the UAE’s poor human rights and labour practices through an FTA.
Canada and US governments shut down ability of Canadian NGOs to comment in trade dispute over Mexico’s GM corn ban
10-Jan-2024 CBAN
A trade dispute panel has rescinded an invitation to Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to submit official comments in the dispute under the Canada-US-Mexico Trade Agreement (CUSMA) over Mexico’s phase-out of genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) corn.
Panama sued by 3+ mining companies after supreme court rules mining contract unconstitutional
9-Jan-2024 AFTINET
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.