Media Release: RCEP e-commerce chapter leaked as AFTINET raises concerns about human rights risks
February 12, 2020: Media release: RCEP e-commerce chapter leaked as AFTINET raises concerns about human rights risks
British American Tobacco uses trade law to try to freeze plain packaging legislation in the Netherlands
February 10, 2020: British American Tobacco’s submission to the Dutch government in response to its plans to introduce new plain packaging legislation for cigarettes has included a veiled threat of arbitration under international trade law.
Updated summary of latest evidence on investors suing governments (ISDS)
February 5, 2019: AFTINET's handy summary of the latest evidence on global corporations suing governments (ISDS) has been updated here to include the latest cases.
New analysis shares learnings from Indian civil society campaign against the RCEP
February 4, 2020: A new analysis of the Indian civil society campaign against the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP) by GRAIN and the Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers' Movements shares important learnings for social movements across the region. However, they also warn that efforts to bring India back to the negotiating table could mean that the campaign against the RCEP has not yet been fully won.
The UK has left the EU and negotiations for Australia-UK FTA could start soon
February 3, 2020: The UK officially left the EU on 31 January and news reports over the weekend suggest that the UK government plans to begin official trade negotiations with non-EU countries quickly.
Expert claims ISDS provisions for Mexico in NAFTA 2.0 are neo-colonial and could undermine action on climate change
January 30, 2020: An article by Manuel Perez-Rocha, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, argues that the ISDS provisions for Mexico in the new NAFTA agreement are neo-colonial and give extensive powers to big polluters, which could restrict government’s ability to act on climate change.
European Commission President flags carbon border tax if others fail to reduce emissions
January 28, 2020: Ursula von der Leyen, the new European Commission President, told business leaders last week that the EU was determined to meet its target of carbon neutrality by 2050, and if necessary would use carbon intensity taxes “to prevent the import of CO2 from abroad”
No RCEP signing until November 2020 as India does a cost benefit study and is asked to re-join
January 23, 2020: In November 2019 15 governments announced they had concluded the talks for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), but India withdrew from the negotiations. The target date for signing has now been postponed to November 2020, as other governments ask India to negotiate to re-join.
Australian mining company threatens ISDS case against Tanzania
January 22, 2019: Australian mining company Indiana Resources is one of three mining companies that have served the Tanzanian government with a notice of intent to bring an ISDS case after it revoked the companies’ retention licences.
Trade rules could impact on regulation of facial recognition technology
January 21, 2020: A New York Times investigation reprinted in the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that an American software company, established by Australian developer Hoan Ton-That, has developed ground-breaking facial recognition software that is being used without any regulation or public scrutiny by both public agencies and private companies in the US.