Closed-door talks are on-going between the U.S. and Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam; with countries like Japan and China potentially joining later. 600 corporate advisors have access to the text, while the public, Members of Congress, journalists, and civil society are excluded. And so far what we know about what's in there is very scary!
After more than two years of negotiations under conditions of extreme secrecy, on June 12, 2012, a leaked copy of the investment chapter for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement was
posted at http://tinyurl.com/tppinvestment. Public Citizen has verified that the text is authentic. The leaked text provides stark warnings about the dangers of “trade” negotiations occurring without
press, public or policymaker oversight. It reveals that negotiators already have agreed to many radical terms granting expansive new rights and privileges for foreign investors and their private corporate enforcement through extra-judicial “investor-state” tribunals.
Although TPP has been branded as a “trade” agreement, the leaked text shows that TPP would limit how signatory countries may regulate foreign firms operating within their boundaries, with
requirements to provide them greater rights than domestic firms. The leaked text reveals a two-track legal system, with foreign firms empowered to skirt domestic courts and laws to directly sue TPP
governments in foreign tribunals. There they can demand compensation for domestic financial, health, environmental, land use laws and other laws they claim undermine their new TPP privileges.
The leak also reveals that all countries involved in TPP talks – except Australia – have agreed to submit to the jurisdiction of such foreign tribunals, which would be empowered to order payment of
unlimited government Treasury funds to foreign investors over TPP claims. As revealed in Section B of the leaked text, these tribunals would not meet standards of transparency, consistency or due process common to TPP countries’ domestic legal systems or provide fair, independent or balanced venues for resolving disputes between sovereign nations and private investors. For instance, in a manner that would be unethical for judges, the tribunals would be staffed by private sector lawyers that rotate between acting as “judges” and as advocates for the investors suing the governments..
Read more: http://www.citizen.org/documents/Leaked-TPP-Investment-Analysis.pdf
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GET ON THE PHONES TO ISSA and YOUR HOUSE REP AND YOUR SENATOR!!!
Senator Ron Wyden (D) 202 224 5244 www.wyden.senate.gove twitter ronwyden fax 202 228 2717
Rep Darrell ISSA ( R ) is 202 225 3906 www.issa.house.gov twitter darrellissa fax 202 225 3303
If you do not know your rep…go to www.congress.org and put in your zip… it will give you all your reps…state and federal!
If you know your House Rep and Senators… call the main lines and tell them to STOP the TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP)
HOUSE REP MAIN LINE 202 225 3121
SENATE MAIN LINE 202 224 3121
