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News from the movements

Civil society groups unite to monitor the 4th round of Thailand-EU FTA negotiation
26-Nov-2024 Thaiplus Net
Thai civil society groups, including FTA Watch and the Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, have expressed serious concerns over the ongoing Thailand-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Key issues include stricter intellectual property rights, which could impact access to affordable medicines, and potential threats to food security and public health. The groups are urging the Thai government to prioritize public health and environmental concerns over corporate interests.
20 years of free trade in Morocco, the dominant class cashes in
25-Nov-2024 bilaterals.org
Even before the colonial era, Morocco was forced to sign several trade agreements. Formal independence has not changed the status quo, and the country’s trade remains closely linked to the former colonial powers, especially France.
Trade Gone Mad: exposing the dark side of "Free Trade"
25-Nov-2024 Local Futures
The animation "Trade Gone Mad" sheds light on the destructive impact of corporate-driven global trade. It highlights how so-called "free trade" agreements, often negotiated behind closed doors, empower multinational corporations to prioritize profits over people and the planet.
Thai and Swiss civil society unite to protect access to medicines and the Universal Health Coverage Scheme
21-Nov-2024 ITPC Global
Civil society groups in Thailand and Switzerland are urging the Thai government to maintain its stance against TRIPS+ provisions, which exceed the requirements of the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS Agreement. These groups argue that such provisions could significantly increase the cost of medicines and limit access for the Thai population.
European trade deals: Greenwashed but still dirty
18-Nov-2024 bilaterals.org
The strongest economic actors still find their way into the corridors of power of the EU, when we need the planet and the most vulnerable around the world to take power away from them.
A new colonialist wave through digital trade agreements
15-Nov-2024 Bot Populi
Analyzing the neo-colonial dynamics in digital trade agendas against the backdrop of WTO MC13.
Trump’s tariffs are nothing new – NZ’s real problem is the failing free trade system itself
15-Nov-2024 The Conversation
Headlines following Donald Trump’s election victory focused largely on single issues, such as how US tariff hikes would affect New Zealand’s exports but this oversimplifies and diverts attention from the more systemic challenges a second Trump presidency will pose.
Disputed grounds: Gold mining, resistance and investment arbitration in Türkiye
15-Nov-2024 SOMO
Large-scale mining projects highlight complex tensions between states, foreign investors, and local communities, leading to environmental and social risks for communities.
Climate Hypocrisy ahead of G20: New report exposes the dangers of Milei’s climate-wrecking economic reforms and why the EU-Mercosur trade deal should finally be dropped
13-Nov-2024 CAN Europe
A new report uncovers the climate-wrecking economic shock plans by Argentina’s far-right President Javier Milei, and how the EU-Mercosur trade deal risks fueling Argentina’s social-ecological crisis and climate-breakdown.
Kenya terminates Bilateral Investment Treaty with the Netherlands
13-Nov-2024 SOMO
The government of Kenya has officially terminated its bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with the Netherlands, marking a significant win for economic justice and environmental protection.
A tsunami of trade agreements: Reflections on 20 years of resistance
12-Nov-2024 bilaterals.org
As trade justice activists, we must be at the forefront of collective organising and mobilising for a new trade system that addresses pressing global challenges.
International investment law and ISDS: Overcoming legal barriers to effective climate action under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement
12-Nov-2024 CIEL
The urgent need to address climate change is hindered by legal barriers within international investment law, particularly through Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms.
This is what the ECJ said on trade in Western Sahara
7-Nov-2024 Western Sahara Resource Watch
WSRW has summarised the key findings of the landmark rulings on Western Sahara of the EU Court of Justice, of 4 October 2024.
EU-Mercosur deal: European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) to mobilize in November
7-Nov-2024 European Coordination Via Campesina
ECVC farmers and civil society organisations from across Europe will mobilise in Brussels in the week commencing 11 November against the European Commission’s desperate attempts to approve the EU-Mercosur agreement.
Honduras against the corporate Goliath
7-Nov-2024 TNI
An impoverished country resisting foreign investors’ claims.
Twenty years of bilaterals.org, twenty years of fighting FTAs
4-Nov-2024 bilaterals.org
When bilaterals.org was set up back in 2004, the world looked rather different. What has changed?
ISDS in numbers – Impacts of investment arbitration lawsuits against states in Latin America and the Caribbean
22-Oct-2024 TNI
This report presents a systematic overview of foreign investor lawsuits against countries across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) based on investment protection treaties up to 31 December 2023.
Third-party funder is the only winner in Odyssey Marine Exploration’s suit against Mexico
21-Oct-2024 Inequality.org
The country will likely have to pay over $30 million to an American litigation firm because it wanted to protect its environment from harmful seabed mining.
Labour unions express concerns about proposed free trade agreement with Ecuador
20-Oct-2024 United Steelworkers
We are writing on behalf of Canadian unions that are deeply concerned about the current negotiations for a free trade agreement with Ecuador.
EU compensation fund looks to bribe European farmers to sign the EU-Mercosur agreement
18-Oct-2024 European Coordination Via Campesina
The EU wants to set up a fund to compensate European farmers for the damage caused by the EU-Mercosur agreement, however this damage should never be allowed to happen in the first place!