With the next ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) now exactly three months away, civil society is stepping up its campaigning against the expansion of the WTO through the proposed negotiations on an investment agreement.
The launch of investment talks at the WTO summit (scheduled to take place in Cancun, Mexico, September 10th-14th) is a central objective of the European Commission (EC), which negotiaties on behalf of EU member states. Yet civil society groups from both the developed and developing world, and with backgrounds ranging from mainstream to radical, are unequivocally opposed to the launch of such negotiations. [1]
Groups point out that a WTO investment agreement would progressively eliminate measures that governments must have at their disposal to ensure that foreign investment brings benefits to their people. Accordingly, the EC's position is seen to be overwhelmingly biased in favour of multinational corporations.
Between now and the ministerial meeting civil society groups across the globe will be mobilising to block the launch of WTO investment negotiations. Within Europe, for example, there will be civil society actions around the forthcoming EU trade ministers' meetings at Palermo, in early July. Additionally, groups from all over the world will be participating in international days (and weeks) of protests pencilled in for immediately prior to and during the Cancun
conference. [2]
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is assisting the campaigns by maintaining the website http://www.investmentwatch.org , a frequently-updated resource which includes (for instance) statements and briefings by civil society groups [3], intelligence on government and industry positions, a comprehensive news section and a detailed events diary.
[1] See the signatories to the various sign-on statements available
in the "Critical Voices > Sign-on Statements" section of
www.investmentwatch.org.
[2] See the "Resources > Events" section of the website for
information about forthcoming mobilisations and events.
[3] In the "Critical Voices > Groups" section there are links to
briefings and statements by groups such as Oxfam, Third World
Network, World Wide Fund for nature (WWF), World Development
Movement, Public Services International and the pan-European "Seattle
To Brussels" network.
Contact: Olivier Hoedeman by email: olivier@corporateeurope.org
Corporate Europe Observatory: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/
The launch of investment talks at the WTO summit (scheduled to take place in Cancun, Mexico, September 10th-14th) is a central objective of the European Commission (EC), which negotiaties on behalf of EU member states. Yet civil society groups from both the developed and developing world, and with backgrounds ranging from mainstream to radical, are unequivocally opposed to the launch of such negotiations. [1]
Groups point out that a WTO investment agreement would progressively eliminate measures that governments must have at their disposal to ensure that foreign investment brings benefits to their people. Accordingly, the EC's position is seen to be overwhelmingly biased in favour of multinational corporations.
Between now and the ministerial meeting civil society groups across the globe will be mobilising to block the launch of WTO investment negotiations. Within Europe, for example, there will be civil society actions around the forthcoming EU trade ministers' meetings at Palermo, in early July. Additionally, groups from all over the world will be participating in international days (and weeks) of protests pencilled in for immediately prior to and during the Cancun
conference. [2]
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is assisting the campaigns by maintaining the website http://www.investmentwatch.org , a frequently-updated resource which includes (for instance) statements and briefings by civil society groups [3], intelligence on government and industry positions, a comprehensive news section and a detailed events diary.
[1] See the signatories to the various sign-on statements available
in the "Critical Voices > Sign-on Statements" section of
www.investmentwatch.org.
[2] See the "Resources > Events" section of the website for
information about forthcoming mobilisations and events.
[3] In the "Critical Voices > Groups" section there are links to
briefings and statements by groups such as Oxfam, Third World
Network, World Wide Fund for nature (WWF), World Development
Movement, Public Services International and the pan-European "Seattle
To Brussels" network.
Contact: Olivier Hoedeman by email: olivier@corporateeurope.org
Corporate Europe Observatory: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/