Activities

As the second round of negotiation for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership happens in Brussels on 11-15 November, 2013, almost 100 organisations from Europe and the US have been raising their voice. The letter shows their concerns about the negotiations and state their opposition to the use of behind-closed-door trade negotiations to change and lower public interest measures for the sake of commercial interests (Read or download the letter and the list of signing organisations)

Civil society organisations in Morocco and Arab countries warn of potential negative effect on development, human rights, and the future of productive sectors as a result of the negotiations between Morocco and the EU for a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA).

AK Europa, ÖGB Europabüro, the Seattle to Brussels Network (S2B) and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) organised you to a public discussion of civil society with MEPs, Council & Commission, on Tuesday, June 4th 2013. The EU and the US are about to launch negotiations for a far-reaching free trade and investment agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). As part of this deal, the European Commission and the US government want to negotiate a so called investor-to-state dispute settlement mechanism. Listen or download the audio of the conference

Public discussion of civil society with MEPs, Council & Commission – Tuesday, February 26th 2013, 10.00 – 12.00  Résidence Palace – International Press Centre, Brussels – The European Union has acquired exclusive competence to negotiate international investment agreements such as Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). These agreements typically include investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, which allow foreign investors to bring claims against states in which they made an investment. ISDS has far-reaching implications for the budgets of the European Union and of Member States. The final decisions over these payments will, however, not be taken by democratically elected bodies or by independent judges, but by private lawyers in ISDS tribunals. Invitation in English and French

The social movements and political organizations of the Latin American continent and of Europe met during the People’s Summit in Santiago de Chile from January 25th through 27th, at the same time as the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC and the European Union (EU). Read the final declaration (in Spanish) or look at the pictures of the summit.

 Firenze 10+10 ends: call for action and road-map – More than 4 thousand participants, 300 networks and organisations from 28 countries from all over Europe and beyond, met at Fortezza da Basso in Florence, to debate and strategize together for another Europe.  Over 100 meetings, and many new networks and campaigns launched.  A call for common action emerged from the convergences, and a proposed roadmap (…)

On 5-6 November, 2012 the 9th Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM9) took place in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Under the theme Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity, leaders of 49 member states and governments in Asia and Europe exchanged views, priorities and plans on regional and global issues that are of common interest to both regions at the summit. Prior to and in conjunction with ASEM9, the Asia-Europe People?s Forum (AEPF9) holded its 9th biennial People?s Forum on 16-19 October. Read or download the final declaration.

The People’s Summit for Social and Environmental Justice during Rio+20  is an event organized by global civil society that will take place between the 15th and the 23rd of June at Flamengo, in Rio de Janeiro – alongside the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Rio+20.

In November, France will take over the Presidency of the G8 and the G20 and will be organizing their summits in June and November 2011. But while summits pass, the economic, financial, ecological and social crises remain. The last G8 and G20 meetings (in Pittsburgh 2009 and Toronto 2010) did not bring and real answers to these crises. On the contrary, all the evidence points to them having sought above all to reconfirm the legitimacy of the actors and the mechanisms behind these crises, all while making citizens foot the bill.

The financialization of natural resources: Understanding the new dynamics and developing civil society answers to it – Paris, 28 th  and 29 th  of October 2011. In recent years civil society has focused on tackling financial speculation in food commodities, as it is regarded as one of the main drivers of food price volatility that heavily impacts small producers and the poor. Similarly governments have been discussing the issue in the context of the G20 focus on food security, but with marginal and contradictory results so far. At the same time, similar attention is being paid by governments to oil and other hard commodities speculation, where prices are even more volatile and the impacts on energy dependant countries are equally severe. Read or download the agenda of the meeting and/or the registration form.

On October 15th people from all over the world will take to the streets and squares. From America to Asia, from Africa to Europe, people are rising up to claim their rights and demand a true democracy. Now it is time for all of us to join in a global non violent protest (…)