*[Enwl-eng] Multinational power grab
ENWLine
Hi,
Multinational companies use their influence to capture politics, every day. But still, they are not satisfied. They want more. They want their own justice system. A whole parallel system of courts by corporations, for corporations.
And guess what? The European Parliament could give it to them in just four days. On 12 February, the European Parliament is due to vote to approve an investment agreement between the EU and Singapore that includes corporate courts and hands over huge powers to corporations. [1]
Don’t be fooled. This is not really just about Singapore: it’s about trying to approve a model treaty that will hand corporations huge powers - a special court only accessible for them - to bully our governments and win huge sums of public money. [2]
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Our mobilisation could swing the vote of key MEPs in favour of the defeat of the EU-Singapore investment deal. Such a victory would show that EU citizens don’t support a system where big companies can sue governments. And if we stop this treaty, it could have huge repercussions for the whole investment policy of the EU!
This system of corporate courts already exists, but the EU wants to expand it. It is called Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). It allows multinational corporations to sue governments that dare to stand up to their power. Under the secretive ISDS, they have sued countries for anything from raising the minimum wage to introducing a moratorium on fracking. [3]
If the EU-Singapore deal is passed, it could bring the same ISDS system to a whole array of new trade agreements to be passed in 2019. We could see ISDS introduced in similar deals with bigger economies. Including with the USA or Japan.
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Three years ago, we stopped the EU-US agreement, the TTIP, which would have increased the power of big multinational corporations. Thousands of signatures. Hundreds of thousands of protests in the streets. We took on the corporations, the lobbyists, 28 governments and the EU Commission. And we won.
Will you help do it again to stop this privilege for multinational corporations - which was the most dangerous part of TTIP? Sign now.
With hope,
Mika (Bordeaux), Alex (Marseille), Virginia (Madrid) and the rest of WeMove.EU team
PS: A Europe-wide campaign against ISDS and for more corporate accountability has just started to make the best of this opportunity! Please join the campaign now to stop corporate courts and impunity!
References:
[1]
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/eu-singapore-agreement/
[2]
According to the United Nations, these systems on average award €477 million
from public budgets, our tax
money.
https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/diaepcb2017d1_en.pdf
[3]
http://isds.bilaterals.org/?-key-cases-&lang=en
WeMove.EU is a citizens’ movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere.
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