On Canada’s insistance, India is expected to sign a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with Canada based on an old text, not its new model BIT. The old text contains contentious provisions such as the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.
For decades, labour has been fighting purely defensive battles against the neo-liberal trade and investment agenda; we lack an agenda of our own. Lost ground will not be reclaimed on what is fundamentally hostile territory, argues Peter Rossmann of the IUF.
The EU-US free trade deal is controversial in Europe as it includes a mechanism that seeks to settle disputes between investors and states out of regular courts. DW examines the issue with law professor Gus Van Harten.