ISDS Case Map
CPTPP
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Nine countries asked by a United Nations Special Rapporteur to respond to a complaint over the alleged secret and bureaucratic negotiations for the draft Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement either failed to respond or defended the backdoor talks, according to the advocacy group Knowledge Ecology International.
Interview with Ben Beachy, research director with Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, conducted by Scott Harris
Deadlines are to trade negotiators what chastity and continence were to St Augustine: distant aspirations rather than binding obligations. No surprise then that the target of completing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) this year will be missed. The 14th round of talks among nine states negotiating this “21st-century” regional trade agreement ended on September 15th. The next, to be held in New Zealand in December, and joined by two new members, Mexico and Canada, will not be the last.
The United States is asking countries for strong rules to protect the free flow of data, ranging from video clips to back-room office operations, in talks on a Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, a U.S. official said on Friday.
The United States and eight other nations negotiating an expansion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal have effectively postponed the conclusion of their talks, originally planned for the end of the year.
Delegates attending trans-Pacific free-trade negotiations in the United States are being warned their countries could end up like Australia if they agree to allow corporations to sue governments in international courts.
Japan's decision to ease regulations on imports of U.S. beef will likely provide a boost to the government's plan of joining negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement.
Some countries whose governments purchase drugs with a set budget are also alarmed by signs that the TPP may grant new negotiating powers to the industry.
Just Foreign Policy is offering a reward, now up to $21,100, to WikiLeaks if it publishes a draft copy of the TPP. People could add to the reward fund, or if in a position to do so, make a copy of the draft agreement available to the world.
The most significant issue regarding the TPP is the very lack of transparency. Hailed as a new century trade agreement, the lack of information made available to the public, including the US Congress, hardly embraces the realities of the twenty-first century, writes COHA.
