An Australian-based mining company is taking over a mine in El Salvador, blocked by their government for environmental reasons. But the miners have legal power on their side, writes Jemma Williams in the New Matilda
The mining company, recently aquired by Australia-based OceanaGold, is suing the government of El Salvador for almost half of the national schools budget in an international tribunal.
By Peter Murphy
Farmer, trade union, women and other civil society organisations who were focused on trade justice at the Bali World Trade Organisation Ministerial were disappointed in the ‘package’ that was adopted, while the WTO itself was elated.
At the extended close on December 7, 2013, Director-General Roberto Azevado declared it was the most significant decision since 1995. He even said, “For the first time in our history: the WTO has truly delivered!” But the outcome was a squib.
ABC breakfast radio reports that Australia, New Zealand and Canada have caved in to US pressure on patents and medicines as part of negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership talks in Singapore, and the US has reportedly prevailed in its demands for longer and stronger patent laws on generic medicines.
The Sydney Morning Herald’s economics editor, Ross Gittins, publishes some strong criticisms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in an article titled ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership with US should hold fears’
11/12/2013
More than 40 Australian senior academics have endorsed a letter to the Minister for Health, Peter Dutton outlining their concerns about the negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and its potential impact on public health and medicines.
11/12/2013
Dr Patricia Ranald (AFTINET) and Dr Matthew Rimmer (ANU) are interviewed on ABC radio PM about new leaked documents about the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.
Dr Patricia Ranald was also interviewed on ABC National Drive
10/12/2013
The Guardian published an overview of the agreement titled ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership: a guide to the most contentious issues’. They list each of the following issues by sub-heading: Intellectual property, Investment, E-commerce, Medicines and health, Environment, Financial regulation, Labour rights, Tobacco control and Agriculture.
10/12/2013
Following more leaked TPP documents, Peter Martin publishes the article ‘Leaked memo shows steep concessions for Pacific trade deal’ in the Sydney Morning Herald. The leaked documents, published by The Huffington Post and WikiLeaks, are a memo and spreadsheet prepared by negotiators from one of the 12 nations attempting to reach agreement.
Trade Minister Robb has admitted that he is ready to allow foreign investors the right to sue governments as part of the TPP.
The government claims that health and environment legislation have been carved out from the ISDS clauses in the agreement. But this has proved impossible in other agreements, where investors have pursued cases even when there have been so-called exemptions for health and environment laws.