CETA

The EU-Canada CETA is an FTA - Free Trade Agreement

It is the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement - currently being negotiated between the EU and Canada towards planned completion in 2013

FTAs (favoured by "neo-liberals") can have a benefit in removing unnecessary trade barriers to enable more trade, but the primary beneficiaries are multi-national corporations not SMEs nor indigenous tribes, and as a means of increasing globalization they bring about the associated negative as well as positive consequences. OK they can have benefits in removing any un-necessary protectionism and trade barriers, but can also be a "Trojan Horse" - especially via the investor-state dispute-arbitration clause - which is a common feature of many FTAs:

The investor-state dispute arbitration/settlement clause is a potential threat to democracy, law-making, policy-making, sovereignty, environment, health, social / civil rights, localism etc etc (!) by potentially putting free-trade profit above all these and giving over-riding power to corporations. This is because if a corporation regards an action or policy or even legislation by a state as restricting its free trade potential and thus profit potential - it can sue the state or threaten to do so (threats can "chill" potential legislation from coming into effect). This has most certainly happened with other FTA's such as NAFTA - in which dispute arbitration decisions have put profits via free trade as being of more "importance" than e.g. environmental legislation.

The letter I received from BIS re CETA (signed by LibDem Minister Ed Davey MP & dated 6Sept11) in response to my 26July11 email to my MP Tim Farron did not in any way reassure my concerns.

CETA LINKS:

'Excessive Corporate Rights in Canada-EU Trade Deal Are Unacceptable to Broad Section of European, Canadian and Quebec Society' 5feb13
 http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/-1753125.htm

'Arbitration clause in EU-Canada trade agreement - An easy way to by-pass democracy' Kriton Arsenis MEP 20jan13 in New Europe NEWEUROPE online
http://www.neurope.eu/blog/arbitration-clause-eu-canada-trade-agreement

UKTSN have produced a briefing leaflet pdf which can be downloaded via their resources web-page (which introduces the topics) HERE or downloaded directly HERE.

The EU on CETA:
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-opportunities/bilateral-relations/countries/canada/

SIA = Sustainability Impact Assessment
'A Trade SIA Relating to the Negotiation of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) Between the EU and Canada' - Final Report - June 2011
http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/september/tradoc_148201.pdf
See e.g. 5.1.2 Oil & Petroleum products - p.149 - concerns especially Canada's tar sands aka oil sands.

 
My Sept/Oct.2011 posting on www.dragonfly1.plus.com re CETA:

I have now received a letter back from Government (via my MP) in reply to my letter regarding the CETA (my 26july posting below) which shows the Government position continues to be as I have described - it gives false and flimsy re-assurances with regards Government concerns about higher emissions fuel sources such as from tar sands, and gives obvious priority to financial benefits of the CETA to UK GDP (via free-trade rights to big business).  I recently briefly met my MP Tim Farron (President of LibDem Party) to update him on this matter.

My July 2011 postings re CETA:

CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) is a proposed Canada-EU free trade agreement under negotiation which threatens to legally undermine EU climate change policy (e.g. the FQD) and increase the already over-large powers of oil companies etc etc (many devils in the details!). Further information: 

17july11 postings:
CETA THREAT: Ongoing negotiations in Brussels between EU and Canada towards a free trade agreement (CETA) threaten to hugely increase import of tar sands oil into Europe if Canada's government has its way, by undermining EU climate policy such as the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) and giving power to tar sands oil companies to challenge UK or EU social and environmental regulations and policies if they try and limit free trade in tar sands oil. I recommend you read UK Tar Sands Network's "Keep Europe out of the Tar Sands" http://www.no-tar-sands.org/campaigns/ceta/ and it's link to an excellent CETA-briefing pdf. The write-up of a meeting it organized during this July's round of CETA negotiations is also very informative:
www.no-tar-sands.org/2011/07/trading-blows-tar-sands-critics-in-brussels-face-off-with-canada%E2%80%99s-pr-machine/
ACTION: URGENT: Having read about CETA you will no doubt wish to do something to remove the worst clauses (or stop CETA altogther!). Do write to your MP and MEPs, and you are welcome to base your letter on my email to Tim Farron MP. Copy and paste sections if you so wish, or use your own words to give it more identity.