<div dir="ltr">no equivalence at all<div>I have been working directly with trade agreements, as Nick has ....and everything there is secret, non-transparent ..etc...</div><div> a mistake to say that "old style lobby" is equivalent to multi-stakeholderism...</div>
<div>no "equal footing" on TPP or Trans-Atlantic ..makes me laugh actually</div><div>refer to BestBits on statement on process <a href="http://bestbits.net/netmundial-roadmap/">http://bestbits.net/netmundial-roadmap/</a></div>
</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Apr 11, 2014 at 6:07 AM, McTim <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mctimconsulting@gmail.com" target="_blank">mctimconsulting@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><cc list trimmed><br>
<br>
Nick,<br>
<br>
thanks for making this point, which I had intended to make as well.<br>
There is absolutley no equivalence here!<br>
<br>
rgds,<br>
<br>
McTim<br>
<div><div class="h5"><br>
On Fri, Apr 11, 2014 at 1:24 AM, Nick Ashton-Hart <<a href="mailto:nashton@consensus.pro">nashton@consensus.pro</a>> wrote:<br>
> I'm sorry but to suggest BITS are multi stakeholder is just fundamentally<br>
> incorrect. Love them or hate them, they are entirely different to what we<br>
> talk about vis a vis multi stakeholder processes in Internet policy.<br>
><br>
> On 11 April 2014 02:05:25 "michael gurstein" <<a href="mailto:gurstein@gmail.com">gurstein@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> These “Investor Treaties” are the trade equivalent of multistakeholder<br>
>> governance processes in that they give the private sector equal rights with<br>
>> governments in determining the contents of sectoral trade agreements.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> M<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> From: <a href="mailto:sid-l@googlegroups.com">sid-l@googlegroups.com</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:sid-l@googlegroups.com">sid-l@googlegroups.com</a>] On Behalf Of<br>
>> Sid Shniad<br>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2014 12:17 PM<br>
>> To: undisclosed-recipients:<br>
>> Subject: Investor Treaties in Trouble<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> <a href="http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=fa9cf38799136b5660f367ba6&id=3990f710bb&e=3f7d5d14f1" target="_blank">http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=fa9cf38799136b5660f367ba6&id=3990f710bb&e=3f7d5d14f1</a><br>
>><br>
>> SOUTHNEWS No. 52, 10 April 2014<br>
>><br>
>> SOUTHNEWS is a service of the South Centre to provide information and news<br>
>> on topical issues from a South perspective.<br>
>> Visit the South Centre’s website: <a href="http://www.southcentre.int" target="_blank">www.southcentre.int</a>.<br>
>><br>
>> Investor Treaties in Trouble<br>
>><br>
>> By Martin Khor<br>
>><br>
>> The tide is turning against investment treaties and free trade agreements<br>
>> that contain the controversial investor-state dispute system, as countries<br>
>> like Indonesia and Germany take action on this.<br>
>><br>
>> The tide is turning against investment treaties that allow foreign<br>
>> investors to take up cases against host governments and claim compensation<br>
>> of up to billions of dollars.<br>
>><br>
>> Indonesia has given notice to it will terminate its bilateral investment<br>
>> treaty (BIT) with the Netherlands, according to a statement issued by the<br>
>> Dutch Embassy in Jakarta last week.<br>
>><br>
>> “The Indonesian Government has also mentioned it intends to terminate all<br>
>> of its 67 bilateral investment treaties”, according to the same statement.<br>
>><br>
>> The Dutch statement has not been confirmed by Indonesia. But if this is<br>
>> correct, Indonesia joins South Africa, which last year announced it is<br>
>> ending all its BITS.<br>
>><br>
>> Several other countries are also reviewing their investment treaties.<br>
>> This is prompted by increasing numbers of cases being brought against<br>
>> governments by foreign companies who claim that changes in government<br>
>> policies or contracts affect their future profits.<br>
>><br>
>> Many countries have been asked to pay large compensations to companies<br>
>> under the treaties. The biggest claim was against Ecuador, which has to<br>
>> compensate an American oil company US$ 2.3 billion for cancelling a<br>
>> contract.<br>
>><br>
>> The system empowering investors to sue governments in an international<br>
>> tribunal, thus bypassing national laws and courts, is a subject of<br>
>> controversy in Malaysia because it is part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership<br>
>> Agreement (TPPA) which the country is negotiating with 11 other countries.<br>
>><br>
>> The investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system is contained in free<br>
>> trade agreements (especially those involving the United States) and also in<br>
>> BITS which countries sign among themselves to protect foreign investors’<br>
>> rights.<br>
>><br>
>> When these treaties containing ISDS were signed, many countries did not<br>
>> know they were opening themselves to legal cases that foreign investors can<br>
>> take up under loosely worded provisions that allow them to win cases where<br>
>> they claim they have not been treated fairly or that there expected revenues<br>
>> have been expropriated.<br>
>><br>
>> Indonesia and South Africa are among many countries that faced such cases.<br>
>> The Indonesian government has been taken to the ICSID tribunal based in<br>
>> Washington by a British company, Churchill Mining, which claimed the<br>
>> government violated the UK-Indonesia BIT when its contract with a local<br>
>> government in East Kalimantan was cancelled.<br>
>><br>
>> Reports indicate the company is claiming compensation of US$ 1 billion to<br>
>> US$ 2 billion in losses.<br>
>><br>
>> This and other cases taken against Indonesia prompted the government to<br>
>> review whether it should retain its many BITS.<br>
>><br>
>> South Africa had also been sued by a British mining company which claimed<br>
>> losses after the government introduced policies to boost the economic<br>
>> capacity of the blacks to redress apartheid policies.<br>
>><br>
>> India is also reviewing its BITS, after many companies filed cases after<br>
>> the Supreme Court cancelled their 2G mobile communications licenses in the<br>
>> wake of a high-profile corruption scandal linked to the granting of the<br>
>> licenses.<br>
>><br>
>> But it is not only developing countries that are getting disillusioned by<br>
>> the ISDS. Europe is getting cold feet over the investor-state dispute<br>
>> mechanism in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) it is<br>
>> negotiating with the US, similar to the mechanism in the TPPA.<br>
>><br>
>> Several weeks ago, Germany told the European Commission that the TTIP must<br>
>> not have the investor-state dispute mechanism.<br>
>><br>
>> Brigitte Zypries, an economy minister, told the German parliament that<br>
>> Berlin was determined to exclude arbitration rights from the TTIP deal,<br>
>> according to the Financial Times.<br>
>><br>
>> “From the perspective of the [German] federal government, US investors in<br>
>> the EU have sufficient legal protection in the national courts,” she said.<br>
>><br>
>> The French trade minister had earlier voiced opposition to ISDS, while a<br>
>> report commissioned by the United Kingdom government also pointed out<br>
>> problems with the mechanism.<br>
>><br>
>> The European disillusionment has two causes. ISDS cases are also<br>
>> affecting the countries.<br>
>><br>
>> Germany has been taken to ICSID by a Swedish company Vattenfall which<br>
>> claimed it suffered over a billion euros in losses resulting from the<br>
>> government’s decision to phase out nuclear power after the Fukushima<br>
>> disaster.<br>
>><br>
>> And the European public is getting upset over the investment system. Two<br>
>> European organisations last year published a report showing how the<br>
>> international investment arbitration system is monopolised by a few big law<br>
>> firms, how the tribunals are riddled with conflicts of interest and the<br>
>> arbitrary nature of tribunal decisions.<br>
>><br>
>> That report caused shockwaves not only in the civil society but also among<br>
>> European policy makers.<br>
>><br>
>> In January, the European Commission suspended negotiations with the US on<br>
>> the ISDS provisions in the TTIP, and announced it would hold 90 days of<br>
>> consultations with the public over the issue.<br>
>><br>
>> In Australia, the previous government decided it would not have an ISDS<br>
>> clause in its future FTAs and BITS, following a case taken against it by<br>
>> Philip Morris International which claimed loss of profits because of laws<br>
>> requiring only plain packaging on cigarette boxes.<br>
>><br>
>> In Malaysia, the ISDS is one of the major controversial issues relating to<br>
>> the TPPA. Many business, professional and public-interest groups want the<br>
>> government to exclude the ISDS as a “red line” in the TPPA negotiations.<br>
>><br>
>> Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak had also mentioned investment<br>
>> policy and ISDS as one of the issues (the others being government<br>
>> procurement and state owned enterprises) in the TTPA that may impinge on<br>
>> national sovereignty, when he was at the APEC Summit and TPPA Summit in<br>
>> Indonesia last year.<br>
>><br>
>> So far the United States has stuck to its position that ISDS has to be<br>
>> part of the TPPA and TTIP. However if the emerging European opposition<br>
>> affects the TTIP negotiations, it could affect the TPPA as this would<br>
>> strengthen the position of those opposed to ISDS.<br>
>><br>
>> Meanwhile, we can also expect more countries to review their BITS.<br>
>> Developing countries seeking to end their bilateral agreements with European<br>
>> countries can point to the fact that more and more European countries are<br>
>> themselves having second thoughts about the ISDS embedded in these<br>
>> agreements.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Author: Martin Khor is the Executive Director of the South Centre.<br>
>> Contact: <a href="mailto:director@southcentre.int">director@southcentre.int</a>.<br>
>> To view other articles in SouthNews, please click here.<br>
>><br>
>> For more information, please contact Vicente Paolo Yu of the South Centre:<br>
>> Email <a href="mailto:yu@southcentre.int">yu@southcentre.int</a>, or telephone <a href="tel:%2B41%2022%20791%2080%2050" value="+41227918050">+41 22 791 80 50</a>.<br>
>><br>
>> --<br>
>><br>
>> ---<br>
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups<br>
>> "Sid-l" group.<br>
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an<br>
>> email to <a href="mailto:sid-l%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com">sid-l+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com</a>.<br>
>> For more options, visit <a href="https://groups.google.com/d/optout" target="_blank">https://groups.google.com/d/optout</a>.<br>
>> !DSPAM:2676,5346ee1c215691981217163!<br>
><br>
><br>
</div></div>> ____________________________________________________________<br>
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:<br>
> <a href="mailto:bestbits@lists.bestbits.net">bestbits@lists.bestbits.net</a>.<br>
> To unsubscribe or change your settings, visit:<br>
> <a href="http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits" target="_blank">http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits</a><br>
<br>____________________________________________________________<br>
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:<br>
<a href="mailto:bestbits@lists.bestbits.net">bestbits@lists.bestbits.net</a>.<br>
To unsubscribe or change your settings, visit:<br>
<a href="http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits" target="_blank">http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<b>Carolina Rossini</b> </div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><i>Project Director, Latin America Resource Center</i></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
Open Technology Institute</div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#330099"><b>New America Foundation</b></font></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
//</div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><div><font color="#3333ff"><a href="http://carolinarossini.net/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">http://carolinarossini.net/</a></font></div>
<div><font color="#666666"><a value="+16176979389" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">+ 1 6176979389</a></font><br><font color="#666666">*</font><a href="mailto:carolina.rossini@gmail.com" style="color:rgb(102,102,102)" target="_blank">carolina.rossini@gmail.com</a><font color="#666666">*</font></div>
</div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#666666">skype: carolrossini</font></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<font color="#666666">@carolinarossini</font></div></div><div><br></div>
</div>