WTO's first official visit by Karel De Gucht as EU Trade Commissioner http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/degucht/headlines/press-releases/2010/02-12_en.htmEU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht has met with the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation Pascal Lamy in his first official meeting after taking office earlier this week. The visit underlines the importance that the European Commission places upon a rules-based multilateral free-trading system and the vital role the WTO plays in ensuring its effectiveness.
I will work very closely with our partners in the WTO to ensure that markets remain open and protectionist-free; especially at this time of recovery from the global down-turn. It is very clear that trade is a key factor to help us out of the economic crisis. And one of the best ways to keep protectionism at bay is to conclude the Doha Development Round as soon as possible.
comment-this synopsis if from the press relase,however in the video,you will hear it slightly different,even more alarming.EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht openly states with conviction''protectionism is evil.''watch video http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/player/streaming.cfm?type=ebsplus&sid=155117
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Raw materials: Heading for a global resource crunch? http://www.euractiv.com/en/sustainability/raw-materials-heading-global-resource-crunch
Eurometaux, a trade association representing the non-ferrous metals industry, said access to raw materials is "vital for the survival" of the sector. European industry, it says, is currently dependent on imports for "the essential part" of its raw materials, a market which amounted to "more than 20 billion euro in 2008". For this reason, Eurometaux calls for "an integrated strategy to tackle the issue of access to raw materials, liberalising the markets and the mutual lifting of commercial barriers".
Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE), an environmental NGO, has expressed "severe concerns" about the European Commission's raw materials initiative, saying it "will have a detrimental effect on the environment and developing countries".
FoEE pointed to "fundamental contradictions" in the EU’s proposed strategy which, on the one hand, reiterates the need for increased resource efficiency and recycling of raw materials and on the other, spells out "aggressive plans to grab other countries' resources". Environmentalists said they are "particularly concerned that the proposals challenge other countries' rights to restrict trade on environmental grounds and their ability to process raw materials themselves".
According to Friends of the Earth Europe, "the proposals aimed at improving the EU's 'security of supply' of raw materials succumb to the selfish interests of Europe's industries and are at odds with the long-term sustainability of the natural resources sector".Michael Warhurst of FoEE deplored that Europe "has no targets" for reducing resource use, while "new policies are not assessed for their potential to increase our resource efficiency".
In a joint report with the Sustainable Europe Research Institute, FoEE is calling on the EU to measure its resource use and adopt new policies, such as higher recycling targets, to increase resource efficiency.They suggest that Europe should measure its use of materials in particular, but also its land and water use and greenhouse gas emissions, taking account of the impact of Europe's consumption on the rest of the world in terms of imported resources.
other mining sectors, non-metallic extractive industries and their markets are largely self-sufficient, says IMA Europe. It therefore warns that regulating the use of natural resources may lead to serious unwanted side effects, such as the disruption of the free market.
comment-this article is pertinent to the role EU Trade Commission plays in representing its nation members, industries and corporate interests in the procurement of natural resources.As a matter of multi national economic interests you have inter governmental energy policies wich are mere bids to secure deals for its private sectors thu free trade agreements or bi lateral agreements.(think of it like this, imagine a group of nations part of a regional economic block,each member country has representation within councils and commissions,as far as the trade commission is concerned the appointed ministers are responsible for safeguarding and establishing agreements and policies that are favorable to its national corporations.)
also this article is pertinent to another post(see right below)in wich the head of EU's Trade Commision few days ago signaled a go ahead concerning a pending FTA with Colombia.Despite numerous pressures on EU from NGO's ,Human Rights Organizations,Trade Union's,and groups of Colombian exiles living in Europe,who opposed and protested demanding EU vote against it,it seems Corporate interests motivated the decision.how else can EU justify the Free Trade Agreement,with so much evidence of gross human violations record in Colombia?
see...EU trade commissioner declares confidence in Colombia http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8139-eu-trade-commissioner-declares-confidence-in-colombia.html
heres why they needed it passed...
comment-heres why the FTA(free trade agreement) went ahead... EU Trade Commission bta's with region and Andean countries http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-opportunities/bilateral-relations/regions/andean/
For the Andean region, the EU is the second largest trading partner after the US. For the EU, the Andean Group is totalling 0.6% of share of EU world trade in 2008. EU imports from Andean countries are primary products: agricultural products (47.5%); fuels and mining products (41.1%)
also see...British and Colombian groups meet in Brussels to oppose FTA http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/7313-british-and-colombian-groups-meet-in-brussels-to-oppose-fta.html
Parliament sets out concerns over Colombia trade deal http://euobserver.com/9/29392
40 trade unionists murdered in 2009: CUT http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8053-40-trade-unionists-murdered-in-2009.html
EP asks EU not sign FTA with Colombia http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/6961-ep-asks-eu-not-sign-fta-with-colombia.html
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From Democracy to Neoliberal Oligarchy http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24654.htm
"The New Junk Economics: From Democracy to Neoliberal Oligarchy" with financial economist and historian, Dr. Michael Hudson. We discuss the Federal Reserve; money as debt; Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's misconception of the causes of the great depression of the 1930's; classical political economy versus anti-classical, so-called "neoclassical", economics; the labor theory of value; the dollar carry trade; government deficit spending; Greece.
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Neoliberal Policies Culminate in Our Shared Despair http://open.salon.com/blog/stellaa/2010/02/12/neoliberal_policies_culminate_in_our_shared_despair
The last decade we got to know the Neoconservative and experienced their core idea in the Iraq war. Meantime, his older brother, the Neoliberal, was working on the side to free markets from government controls. The Neoliberal agenda, is not what you may think at first, these guys brought us all the following concepts: fiscal policy, privatization, tax reform, trade liberalization, privatization of state enterprises, deregulation, welfare reform.
Truth is that the companies that were created and are supported by the Western Democratic Industrial Economies, have shed their national identities and are now free to move around the globe with none of the Democratic hindrances of the Western states. Neoliberal policy implemented, check. As our nation is on the path of a full blown plutocratic oligarchy, the corporations are unified and we the citizens are swimming in a pool of delusion filled with fantasies of individuality, freedom, happiness and bliss.
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PREVIEW-Encirclement - Neo-Liberalism Ensnares Democracy http://encirclement.info/watch.html
a documentary by Richard Brouillette Québec (Canada), HDCam (shot in 16mm), B&W, 2008, 160 minutes With: Noam Chomsky, Ignacio Ramonet, Normand Baillargeon, Susan George, Omar Aktouf, Oncle Bernard, Michel Chossudovsky, François Denord, François Brune, Martin Masse, Jean-Luc Migué, Filip Palda and Donald J. Boudreaux Drawing upon the thinking and analyses of renowned intellectuals, this documentary sketches a portrait of neo-liberal ideology and examines the various mechanisms used to impose its dictates throughout the world.
Neo-liberalism’s one-size-fits-all dogmas are well known: deregulation, reducing the role of the State, privatization, limiting inflation rather than unemployment, etc. In other words, depoliticizing the economy and putting it into the hands of the financial class. And these dogmas are gradually settling into our consciousness because they’re being broadcast across a vast and pervasive network of propaganda.
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FLASHBACK-A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey 1/5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkWWMOzNNrQ
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwboT2DhJC8 mount pelerin society
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