politics for the 99%

Published on EurActiv, July 25, 2014.

.The German aid organisation Brot für die Welt warns that a planned EU-US free trade agreement known as TTIP will undermine local support for smallholders in developing countries and exacerbate the global food crisis. EurActiv Germany reports … //

… Support for regional food products under question: … //

… Local farmers disadvantaged:  

Another, and perhaps more prominent risk is the disadvantage created for agricultural goods from developing countries on the international market.

TTIP negotiators hope to bring about a decrease in tariffs between the EU and US on agriculture products. If this occurs, imports from newly industrialising and developing countries are likely to lose a portion of their market share to the United States for products like cotton, sugar, fresh produce, and fish, says Brot für die Welt.

The development aid organisation is calling for a “development policy check” for TTIP, which would evaluate the free trade agreement regarding the right to food and human rights in general.

In addition, all international trade agreements negotiated by the EU should include a human rights clause. This should offer the possibility of omitting or changing certain terms of the agreement when they threaten to violate human rights.

National economies involved promise TTIP will intensify trade activities, spur economic growth and lead to higher employment.

These expectations would be fulfilled, says a recent study published by the Munich-based Ifo Institute in partnership with the Bertelsmann Foundation, but third countries should also expect certain disadvantages. In addition to an expected increase in prosperity for the US and the EU, the study predicted considerable real losses in revenue for Asian economies.

“The increase in prosperity for Western industrialised countries should be reason enough to compensate those expected to lose out in the agreement and to be open to compromise in multilateral negotiations”, said Thieß Petersen from the Bertelsmann Foundation.

TTIP: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? … //

… (full text).

Related Links:

• As doctors, it would be irresponsible not to raise fears over NHS, on herald scotland, by Catriona Pagliari, Craig Wales, Mike Lean, Hugh Bishop, Robert George, Maire Cooney, Tim Adams, Alan MacDonald, Karen Smith, Michelle Quilter, Neil McKenzie, Richard Barker, Consultants in NHS Scotland, Aug 23, 2014;
• Text of CETA finalised – finally, on International Law Office, August 26, 2014 (Intellectual Property – Canada);
• Hunt to give guarantee on NHS contracts privatisation, on Herald Scotland, by Magnus Gardham, August 23, 2014: THE UK Health Secretary is to give a firm guarantee that a wide-ranging transatlantic trade deal will not open Scotland’s NHS to further privatisation
• Where’s the outrage over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership? – Comments, on The Guardian, Aug 21, 2014; also known as the Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA) is a proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. Proponents say the agreement would result in multilateral economic growth,[1] while critics say it would increase corporate power and make it more difficult for governments to regulate markets for public benefit.[2] The U.S. government considers the TTIP a companion agreement to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.[3] After a proposed draft was leaked, in March 2014 the European Commission launched a public consultation on a limited set of clauses. A blueprint for TTIP is CETA, the free trade agreement between Canada and Europe, that was leaked [4] by German Television ARD = see video in german: der große Deal, on Humanitarian Texts, Aug 23, 2014;
• What does CETA, the ‘Wayne Gretzky of trade deals,’ hold for Europe? on Russia Today RT, by Mark Bergfeld, Aug 19, 2014;
• What the leaked EU-Canada trade paper (CETA) means for TTIP, on EUobserver, by Benjamin Fox, Aug 18, 2014;
• Cameron Urged To Protect NHS In Controversial TTIP Trade Deal, on Huffington Post.co.uk, Aug 7, 2014;
• related article: EU and Canada negotiators reach agreement on trade deal EU hails ‘landmark’ Canada trade deal, on EUobserver, by NIKOLAJ NIELSEN, Aug 6, 2014; ;
• North East MP warns transatlantic trade deal could threaten the NHS, on The Journal.co.uk, by Helen Rae, Aug 11, 2014;
• Two-third of voters in Tory marginals want NHS exempt from US trade pact, on The Guardian, by Matthew Taylor, Aug 7, 2014: TTIP being negotiated between EU and US threatens to make privatisation of UK health services permanent, say critics
• Canada’s Experience Warns of Dangers of Investor-State Dispute Settlement Systems, on RWER Blog, by Jim Stanford, July 30, 2014;
• With TTIP consumer protection will be a privilege of the rich, on Russia Today RT, by Mark Bergfeld, July 28, 2014;
• Transatlantic trade – building the anti-TTIP movement in Britain, on en.basta.net, by John Hilary, July 10, 2014;
• TTIP Could Make NHS Privatisation ‘Irreversible’, Warns Unite Union, on Huffington Post.co.uk, July 3, 2014;
• The false promise of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP, on EurActiv, Dec 17, 2013;

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP:

• on the European Commission’s Official Website;
• on Spiegel Online International;
• on Global Research.ca;
• on Russia Today RT;
• on EurActiv;
• on en.wikipedia;

Other Links:

2 Swiss banks to end 200-yr secrecy and publish financials, on Russia Today RT, Aug 22, 2014: Two Geneva-based banks that have kept their finance sheets shrouded in secrecy since 1796 will publish their earnings amid pressure from abroad …;

A Vicious Circle of Crisis and Cultural Decline, Towards a Rebirth of the West? Why even economists will take ethical issues serious, on Global Research.ca, by Werner de Gruijter, Aug 22, 2014;

The Dissolution of the West: The Root Causes of the Economic Crisis, on Global Research.ca, by , Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, Aug 22, 2014: Global Research TV Feature Interview;

Mediterranean blues – participation and employment, on RWER Blog, Aug 21, 2014;

Immigrant Groups Say Legislation Reforms Reveal Racist Government Agenda, on The Mainlander, by Editors, August 19, 2014;

Book Review: Red Skin, White Masks – rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition, on The Mainlander, by Daniel Tseghay, August 5, 2014;

All studies: cheaper giving homeless shelter, food, health care, job training than doing nothing, on daily censored, by Carl_Herman, August 3, 2014: … and: Creating an Architecture of Change to end Homelessness in US, 8.14 min, uploaded by InteragencyCouncil, Nov 23, 2008;

… and this:

• End of Summer Bliss – Ballet on the Beach, 4.04 min, on Riverdaughter, Aug 22, 2014;
• (also on YouTube, uploaded there by Steele Scala, Aug 24, 2014).