miércoles, 5 de agosto de 2015

Corporate vampires have tried to suck $4 billion out of Romania, and with TTIP the UK could be next - Comment - Voices - The Independent

Corporate vampires have tried to suck $4 billion out of Romania, and with TTIP the UK could be next - Comment - Voices - The Independent



 Corporate vampires have tried to suck $4 billion out of Romania, and with TTIP the UK could be next

TTIP's opponents may be accused of speculation, but the impact of similar trade deals abroad is terrifyingly real




When it dared to halt the production of a gold mine, the government of Romania found itself facing a massive lawsuit from a corporate mining giant in a secret "court". There's nothing about the case that makes any sense – the corporation has said it may seek up to $4 billion in "compensation", which is half of Romania’s annual public healthcare budget.

How awful for Romania to be subject to such a corporate assault, you may think. However, under a controversial trade deal between the UK and America known as TTIP, such cases could become common in Britain. So why is our government one of the biggest cheerleaders of these "corporate courts"?