Trans-Pacific Partnership

Sydney Morning Herald reports ALP Government continues to oppose investor rights to sue governments, but Opposition willing to negotiate

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Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Prize winner for economics, discusses why international trade agreements, including the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), should put public interests ahead of commercial interests. He argues that the current process is neither democratic nor transparent

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/economics-blog/2013/jul/05/free-trade...

At a recent conference of international HIV/AIDS groups, many expressed their concerns about the provisions on patent protection in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, arguing that these could reduce access to cheap medicines for many people in need.

See http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/don-t-sign-tpp-agreement...

People on five continents took action leading up to the Lima negotiations, with a focus on World Fair Trade Day on May 11.

In Australia there were protests in Sydney and Melbourne.Photos are at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Australian-Fair-Trade-and-Investment-Netw...

Educational events about the TPP took place in the United States in Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, St Louis, Washington. Detroit, New York, Berkley, San Antonio, Chicago and Tampa.

MSF Activist Stephen Cornish's opinion piece in the Canadian National Post shows how TPPA proposals on medicines would limit access to affordable medicines in Canada, and have even more devastating impacts in developing countries

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/06/04/stephen-cornish-access-to...

Wall Street Seeks to Change Dodd Frank rules Via Trade Deals

U.S. bankers and insurers are trying to use trade deals, which can trump existing legislation, to weaken parts of the Dodd-Frank Act designed to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.

Their effort is drawing fire from groups who argue that Wall Street wants to make the trade negotiations a new front in its three-year campaign to stop or alter the law.

Chile’s former chief negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA) Rodrigo Contreras warns that TPPA proposals will restrict options for development in health and education, in biological and cultural diversity and in the design of public policies

See http://www.scribd.com/doc/143151705/The-New-Chessboard-English-Translati...

South American consumer groups say proposals at TPP negotiations in Peru would weaken protections for consumers on food, privacy and labor standards

See

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/world/chile-abroad/26233-consumer-rights-gro...

A coalition of organisations has started a ‘Fair Deal’ campaign against copyright provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement

The Fair Deal coalition includes the Australian Digital Alliance, Electronic Frontiers Australia and InternetNZ and represents Internet users, schools, universities, consumers, IT firms and business.

It has called on TPP negotiators to reject copyright proposals which would restrict internet use by requiring [the] termination of Internet access for infringement of copyright or encourage service providers to police Internet use