Whether on GM foods, pesticides, or pharmaceuticals, the EU/US trade treaty aims to strip away higher European regulations that protect public health but hinder corporate profits.
The Transatlantic trade deal will get rid of vital protections for people in Europe and allow corporations to sue parliaments for passing laws they don't like. Yet even the European Parliament barely knows what's being discussed behind closed doors.
Defeated in Seattle and Doha, US and EU corporations are once more trying to stitch up the global economy in the name of 'trade' - with our public services the biggest prize.
Political sentiment on both sides of the Atlantic is turning against anti-democratic trade deals - but high geopolitical and financial stakes means we shouldn’t expect those pushing the deals to give in gracefully.
As Davos trade negotiators announced they would 'consult' over one part of the controversial deal, the TUC met them to ask if the deal would really benefit ordinary people - or just offer up our public services to multinational investors.
EU and US trade barons should enjoy the rarified air of Davos while they can. They have stormy times ahead.
The US government shutdown has postponed further EU-US Free Trade talks due this week, but these corporate attempts to undermine publicly owned health services across Europe are unlikely to be derailed for long without a fierce campaign.
This week G8 leaders hail the opening of EU/US Free Trade negotiations as 'a once in a generation opportunity' to create jobs and growth. But behind the rhetoric, leaks of the secretive negotiating mandate suggest that its real intent is an undemocratic power grab by corporations at the expense of
Trade agreements are not based on natural laws or inevitable necessities, but represent political values and choices that governments make. How could current negotiations on transatlantic trade agreements affect the UK government's sovereign power to protect its citizens health and the public inte
Introducing his revised NHS bill, Lord Owen calls today for transparency from Prime Minister David Cameron over the secret mandate for the EU-US Trade Negotiations which he hopes to boost at the G8 Summit in five weeks time in Northern Ireland.
After the government pushed through its widely opposed privatisation regulations it is time now to focus on the big trade deals and look to the G8 meeting in June. There is a reason the public are being told nothing about them - because they won't like what they hear.
An EU-US drive to harmonise services - particularly health - is critical to the NHS reforms. As the Trade Commission acknowledged, without the financial crash this would not have been possible. Britain's 'shock' programme continues.
