The US-EU free trade pact and the Trans-Pacific Partnership are about securing regulatory gains for major corporate interests.
This is a very thought provoking article from Alternet. Highly recommended reading.
The deals in questions, the Trans-Pacific Partnership ( TPP) and the US-European Union "Free Trade" Agreement are both being pushed as major openings to trade that will increase growth and create jobs. In fact, eliminating trade restrictions is a relatively small part of both agreements, since most tariffs and quotas have already been sharply reduced or eliminated.
Rather, these deals are about securing regulatory gains for major corporate interests. In some cases, such as increased patent and copyright protection, these deals are 180 degrees at odds with free trade. They are about increasing protectionist barriers.
Here are some other articles of interest.
Alan Grayson "US Sovereignty Being Handed to Corporate Interests"
Want a Preview of the New Secret Trade Agreement?
Trans-Pacific Partnership deal meets with opposition
Protesters march on Malaysia’s parliament to voice their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The main target of their anger was clear -- the United States, whom they see as the chief architects and potential beneficiaries of the proposed deal.
We are waking up. The fog is lifting. We are sweeping away the lies and secrecy.
The General Assemblies of Multiple Occupations across America hereby invite our communities, our regional neighbors, and our co-inhabitants of Earth, in general, to join us in both protesting the TPP and also in creating a new world.
Police presence high at Auckland Trans-Pacific Partnership protest
Hundreds of angry protesters have marched down Auckland's Queen's St to rally against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
UPDATE: Council of Canadians protests the Trans Pacific Partnership
Trans Pacific Partnership Bad for the Middle Class: Just How Bad is the Question
Conversations w/Great Minds Lori Wallach - The Trans-Pacific Partnership
Tell Obama No to TPP Fast Track and Secrecy - Sign the Petition
To: President Barack Obama
We call on you to create a more open process for negotiating and ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – a trade agreement that would encourage the offshoring of jobs to sweatshops, compromise food safety, endanger the survival of family farms, prevent financial industry regulation, threaten internet freedom, and undermine US sovereignty by prohibiting local content, Buy American, and green procurement rules.
This trade agreement will profoundly affect all of our lives. Thus, it’s only fair that you allow civil society, the public, the media, and Congress to have a say by making all negotiating texts of TPP public and sending TPP to Congress under normal rules, rather than seeking Fast Track Authority.
The Obama administration is engaged in secret negotiations with governments of Pacific Rim to create the Trans-Pacific Partnership – a massive international agreement described by public interest advocates as “a corporate power tool” that will help the 1% get richer at the expense of our jobs, health, and environment.