Rights for People, Rules for Corporations – Stop ISDS!

Join the movement to end corporate privilege

Corporations have their own global private court system – called ISDS – which they use to bully governments. But many victims of corporate human rights abuses don’t have any way of winning justice.

This is unfair.

We need to end these corporate courts now

Instead, we need a tough global system that can punish multinationals for their crimes.

On January 22, 2019, our coalition launches a European petition across 16 EU Member states, to make the EU and European governments end corporate privileges!

Free trade agreements are again high on the agenda of social movements in Europe.

1. A new petition against the notorious ’ISDS’ is launched.
ISDS stands for Investor-State dispute Settlement, and is a clause in trade agreements that broadly makes it possible for companies to sue governments when their predicted (!) profits are endangered.
For example: Slovenia was sued for putting health insurances back in public hands. Germany is sued for halting nuclear power plants. Australia is sued by tobacco companies for voting to have plain packages.
More background info and cases can eb found on the campaigning site.

You can sign the petition as an individual, and subscribe your organization to the alliance:
https://stopisds.org/

2. Today, The Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice delivered his Opinion
on the arbitration system provided for in CETA. Unfortunately, he considers that this mechanism is compatible with European law and that the CETA can remain unchanged. This is not yet the final view of the European Court, only an advice. The final word will come in april-may, just before European elections.
This means campaigning is all the more needed.
The most unified campaign against CETA is the one mentioned above, but good to keep an eye on the agreement in general, that is overall unbalanced when it comes down to the protection of social and environmental rights.

3. In Belgium, the Platform STOP CETA 2019 is currently organizing itself. You can sign here the Belgian petition