Both ENDS
Press release
Just before being elected president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker from Luxemburg, has spoken out against ISDS. The ‘Investor to State Dispute Settlement’ would be a part of the proposed EU-US trade agreement TTIP. It would deal with conflicts between investors that feel disadvantaged and states they hold responsible. Those conflicts would not be taken to regular courts but to a special dispute settlement tribunal. Mr Juncker is clearly opposed to such a provision.
We are deeply disappointed and frustrated that the Dutch government has not submitted its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for the CBD COP16 in Cali. This disregard for international agreements undermines the concerted global effort to address the urgent biodiversity crisis.
The Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic is planning to reduce access to information about the Integrated Pollution Register (IPR), which has been functioning very well for the last 6 years. With that register, the Czech Republic—unlike some other countries—has an efficient instrument to control the implementation of international conventions regarding environmental protection, such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
In various countries in the Sahel, vast tracts of land have been restored by the local population by nurturing what spontaneously springs from the soil and protecting the sprouts from cattle and hazards.
The Transnational Institute (TNI) published a useful pocket guide regarding the euro crisis. They believe a crisis that started in Wall Street was actually made worse by EU policies. The pocket guide describes how the crisis has enriched the 1% to the detriment of the 99% and it outlines some possible solutions that prioritise people and the environment above corporate profits. This Pocket Guide is published as part of TNI's Economic Justice, Corporate Power and Alternatives programme.
Currently a new highway is being constructed which will connect Hanoi (Vietnam) to Kunming (China). The project, partially financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aims to stimulate economic development in the region throughout the construction of this "economic corridor".
