MEDIA ADVISORY
October 16, 2012
European critics of Canada-EU trade deal to hold media teleconference
highlighting growing controversie
Copyright enforcement, investment protection, Internet rules, public services protections in CETA all challenged in Europe
WHAT: European trade experts will describe why the Canada-EU free trade negotiations are increasingly controversial in Europe, with special attention to the proposed deal’s copyright and Internet proposals, the investor-state dispute settlement process, and Canada’s pressure on the EU to weaken traditional protections for public services, notably drinking water delivery.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 17, 10 a.m. ET
WHY: Canadian (federal and provincial) and European Union trade negotiations continue free trade discussions this week and until October 26 in Brussels, Belgium. Both sides are desperate to conclude a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement before the end of the year. There is pressure to fundamentally alter the agreement or stop the negotiations on both sides of the Atlantic.
WHO:
– Jeremie Zimmermann, La Quadrature du Net, Paris, France – On resistance to the copyright and Internet rules and criminal enforcement of intellectual property rights.
– Gabriella Zanzanaini, Food and Water Europe, Brussels, Belgium – On Canada’s efforts to weaken EU safeguards for public water services, and the European backlash to privatized water systems.
– Peter Fuchs, PowerShift, Berlin, Germany – On the proposed investment protections in CETA and the investor-state dispute settlement process, which threatens European policies and regulations, in particular related to Canadian energy and mining interests.
TELECONFERENCE NUMBERS: RSVP to strew@canadians.org
This media teleconference on CETA is hosted by the Trade Justice Network (tradejustice.ca) and the Réseau Québécois sur l’Intégration continentale (www.rqic.alternatives.ca/RQIC-fr.htm).
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