A round up of health related responses to the #ttipleaks
Europe Beware: Public Citizen in the US warns that trade will always be put before the public interest, including health.
The European Public Health Alliance covers many arising health concerns in the TTIP
Based on formerly available documents, Health Action International's infographic on medicines and the TTIP
Health and Consumer's groups say TTIP leaks confirms fears
International trade agreements attempt to undermine EU environment and health protection - Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland
Friends of the Earth Europe: TTIP Leaks Confirm Unprecedented Corporate Attack
The European Public Health Alliance covers many arising health concerns in the TTIP
Based on formerly available documents, Health Action International's infographic on medicines and the TTIP
Health and Consumer's groups say TTIP leaks confirms fears
International trade agreements attempt to undermine EU environment and health protection - Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland
Friends of the Earth Europe: TTIP Leaks Confirm Unprecedented Corporate Attack
April 7th, World Health Day; Despite Alterations the TTIP remains a threat to health
The Health and Trade Network would like to use this opportunity to highlight how – despite changes to some proposals – the TTIP remains a threat to our health. In a series of three fact sheets, members from the network have provided clear arguments that counter the claims that changes to the TTIP will make it a healthier trade agreement.
Firstly, the proposed alterations to the investor state dispute settlement chapter still leave health related decision making particularly vulnerable to ISDS. This is due to high public spending in health and the importance of contracts with private insurers or providers and of course, the impact of public decisions on the profits of pharmaceutical and health technology companies. The ISDS fact sheet includes a case study on tobacco control and how ISDS threatens the aims of the only existing global treaty for health, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Secondly, health-related decision-making is vulnerable to TTIP‘s cross-cutting regulatory provisions given the costs it can impose on businesses. We have already seen how US and business pressure during the TTIP talks has lead the Commission shelve plans to ban endocrine-disrupting chemicals used in pesticides or allow imports of beef washed in lactic acid. The compulsory nature of the regulatory cooperation chapter means that public health legislation would be subject to the same economic and trade based assessements as economic regulatory proposals thus imposing irrelevant criteria on measures intended to protect health, turning health into a commodity rather than a human right.
The third fact sheet looks at the so-called exlusion for public healthcare services which is apparently designed to protect publicly funded health and other services from the TTIP. Crucial concerns remain about the strength of the apparent carve-out given that public services and procurement are not exempt from ISDS and that backdoor liberalisation by confusion may end up being the norm as restrictions on public services are manipulated through regulatory cooperation, ISDS, competition, state-owned enterprises and public procurement.
Why ISDS is a threat to health
Regulatory Cooperation: the unhealthiest pillar of the TTIP
Why the NHS and other healthcare services are not safe from the TTIP
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The Health and Trade Network would like to use this opportunity to highlight how – despite changes to some proposals – the TTIP remains a threat to our health. In a series of three fact sheets, members from the network have provided clear arguments that counter the claims that changes to the TTIP will make it a healthier trade agreement.
Firstly, the proposed alterations to the investor state dispute settlement chapter still leave health related decision making particularly vulnerable to ISDS. This is due to high public spending in health and the importance of contracts with private insurers or providers and of course, the impact of public decisions on the profits of pharmaceutical and health technology companies. The ISDS fact sheet includes a case study on tobacco control and how ISDS threatens the aims of the only existing global treaty for health, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Secondly, health-related decision-making is vulnerable to TTIP‘s cross-cutting regulatory provisions given the costs it can impose on businesses. We have already seen how US and business pressure during the TTIP talks has lead the Commission shelve plans to ban endocrine-disrupting chemicals used in pesticides or allow imports of beef washed in lactic acid. The compulsory nature of the regulatory cooperation chapter means that public health legislation would be subject to the same economic and trade based assessements as economic regulatory proposals thus imposing irrelevant criteria on measures intended to protect health, turning health into a commodity rather than a human right.
The third fact sheet looks at the so-called exlusion for public healthcare services which is apparently designed to protect publicly funded health and other services from the TTIP. Crucial concerns remain about the strength of the apparent carve-out given that public services and procurement are not exempt from ISDS and that backdoor liberalisation by confusion may end up being the norm as restrictions on public services are manipulated through regulatory cooperation, ISDS, competition, state-owned enterprises and public procurement.
Why ISDS is a threat to health
Regulatory Cooperation: the unhealthiest pillar of the TTIP
Why the NHS and other healthcare services are not safe from the TTIP
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The Transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP)
The TTIP is a vast investment protection and trade agreement currently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States of America. The agreement goes far beyond a traditional trade agreement that negotiates tariffs between the Parties. Through Regulatory Cooperation, the negotiating parties aim to harmonise regulations or mutually recognise them. In addition, the TTIP is changing a paradigm in which legislation is used to enhance public health and social protection to a world where legislative acts are viewed as technical barriers to trade (TBT). The Health and Trade Network is concerned that this will lead to a 'race to the bottom' as companies aim to maximise their profits often at the cost of population health, the environment and the very demcratic processes upon which our legislation is created.
The Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) chapter in the in TTIP would newly empower more than 47,000 of the 51,495 US owned subsidiaries currently operating in the EU to launch ISDS attacks on European policies and government actions. ISDS actions to date have been taken out on legislation that protects our health: such as plain packaging for tobacco produce and supports the prevention of climate change: such as Keystone XL case. These cases are financially damaging and have been proven on several occassions to create a regulatory freeze ie, put a government off implementing a similar piece of legislation. Over 3 million people around the EU have signed the Stop TTIP Campaign petition indicating a sea of protest against the agreement. In the absence of any indications that public health will be fully and legally protected in the TTIP, HaT remains opposed to the trade agreement that threatens our health by increasing corpororate control over legislative processes and our healthcare and social systems.
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