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.
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).
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".
The Saamaka People, the Afro-descendant tribe of Suriname, have preserved close to 1.4 million hectares of the Amazon rainforest. They have for decades urged the government to recognise their ancestral territorial land rights.
According to European Union rules, 10% of agrofuel should be added to every litre of petrol or diesel in 2020. However, current agrofuels like palm oil, soy and rapeseed are no better for the environment.
On Friday 14 March, the French Public Prosecutor's Office announced that it would launch an official investigation into TotalEnergies’ involvement in involuntary manslaughter during the attacks on Palma, the location of their LNG project. This umpteenth abuse makes it clear that the Netherlands cannot in any way provide public support for this project.
