The EU's track record of putting profit over people
This week, world leaders will meet at the United Nations in Geneva to negotiate a historic international treaty to ensure companies respect human rights and the environment in their global operations – the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights. Representatives of the European Union will be attending the opening and closing session, but will not participating in discussions on the content of the treaty text. Why this abstention when we are talking about protecting people's rights against damaging corporations, about giving victims of corporate abuse access to justice?
Manifesto for a Sustainable Europe for its Citizens
Today – on a global day of action to end poverty, reduce inequalities, and tackle climate change – a coalition of civil society organisations has launched a manifesto with core demands for the political leadership of the EU and the candidates in the 2019 European Elections.
Merkel and Trump approach TTIP through the back door
Tomorrow, April 27, German Chancellor Merkel will visit Trump to discuss trade policies and next steps to avoid an escalating trade war with the US.
US President Trump has given the EU a one-month exemption from new measures to increase import tariffs on steel and aluminium entering the US market- until May 1st. The EU wants this exemption to be permanent and is already discussing a mini deal with the US.
A trade agenda for the people
While the USA and China are stepping into one the potential biggest fights on trade measures in decades, Friends of the Earth Europe is presenting concrete proposals for an innovative trade agenda that serves citizens and the environment.
Top EU court rules ISDS is incompatible with EU law
The European Court of Justice ruled today that controversial Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses in the Netherlands-Slovakia bilateral investment treaty are not compatible with EU law, raising fundamental questions about the legality of other EU trade deals which include the measure. [1]
Civil society set out demands at EU-Indonesia trade negotiations
The next round of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Indonesia start today in Solo, Indonesia. Civil society organisations from Europe and Indonesia, including Friends of the Earth Europe and Friends of the Earth Indonesia, will meet in parallel to discuss the consequences of a potential agreement.
EU trade must be more democratic, say 162 organisations
162 organisations from across Europe have today called for European trade policy to be made more democratic.
Their statement was handed over to European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström at the first meeting of a newly established expert group on EU trade agreements.
A new global corporate court system isn't the answer. Time for Europe to find alternatives
Over the last few years, many issues have brought people into the streets in their thousands to demonstrate against the dodgy transatlantic trade deals TTIP and CETA. But perhaps the most contentious has been the issue of 'corporate courts' proposed for the frozen EU-US trade deal, TTIP – in trade jargon, known as an Investor-State-Dispute-Settlement (ISDS) mechanism.
Dodgy deals: new game shows dark side of EU-Canada trade deal
A new game released today sheds light on the murky EU-Canada trade deal (CETA), days after it came into force – provisionally. A large number of citizens struggle to know what CETA actually means for them and what can be done to stop the deal, which still lacks approval from most EU member state parliaments. The mobile and desktop game 'Dodgy Deals' lets players face some of the dangerous features of trade deals like CETA and shows what is at stake.