[Fsfe-ie] IP high on EU-US pre-summit agenda, Adare Co Clare

[David O'Callaghan]

On Fri, 2004-06-25 at 15:20, teresahackett at eircom.net wrote:
> Mary Harney was interviewed on the RTE News at One this afternoon
> about the pre EU-US summit taking place this afternoon with the
> TransAtlantic Business Dialogue. Attendees will include Don Evans, US
> Secretary for Commerce.
> 
> According to MH:
> -the agenda is around world trade, regulation, piracy, intellectual
> property;
> -it will feed into the outcome of the summit tomorrow;
> -it will agree on processes to resolve regulatory difficulties that
> hamper business;
> -counterfeiting accounts for 7% of global trade;
> -EU and US must work together on enforcement regimes;
> -important because of the high inter-dependance of the EU-US
> economices, etc.

See http://www.corporateeurope.org/tpntabd.html for the Corporate Europe
Observatory report on the TABD. Essentially it appears to be a very
high-level business lobby group for EU-US free trade, i.e. a single
transatlantic common market. It has frightening levels of access to
decision-makers in Europe and the US, considering that it has no
democratic mandate.

        The proposed negotiations would imply further intensified and
        accelerated downwards convergence between EU and US
        policy-making and legislation. A Transatlantic divide over
        environment and consumer protection already existed during the
        Clinton Administration, but has deepened dramatically after Bush
        moved into the White House. Corporate interests have been
        granted an almost complete grip on environment and health
        decision-making in Washington D.C. and this increasingly has
        impacts far beyond the US borders. On behalf of US corporations,
        the Bush government aggressively attacks EU limits on
        genetically modified food and proposed safety regulations for
        chemical products (REACH). [8] Things will only get worse if
        Bush gets re-elected, while it remains to be seen how much the
        situation will improve if John Kerry wins. 
        
        No matter what free trade proponents claim, convergence in EU-US
        rule-making would mean a further step backwards in the quality
        of European policies and regulation, already under immense
        pressure due to the EU's obsession with international
        competitiveness. Beyond concerns for the diminishing space for
        sustainable and people-centred policies, the proposed
        convergence (to be exercised in un-transparent structures
        between government officials and business) is fundamentally at
        odds with genuine democratic processes. 


David