FTA: It won the US corporations – ZEIT ONLINE

Now again many will warn: As you see it, because we Americans run away. The close of the Asian and agreements signed on Thursday solemnly in New Zealand, the trans-Pacific FTA TPP. They get what out. We Europeans, however complain about globalization, block progress and demonstrate against the planned European-American TTIP. If that does not change, we lose out.

Stupid is only: False claims are not correct by repetitions.

In fact, the President or Government signed by twelve nations on Thursday in New Zealand Auckland an agreement that couples its economy more closely. You create a free trade zone comprising almost 40 percent of global economic output and in the 800 million consumers live. That sounds enormous. But we are then automatically placed under pressure, is a wrong conclusion. DC for several reasons.

First, do not give the government good policy, culminating fastest FTA, but in the long run agrees on sensible rules with other countries. And to those which use citizens, the environment and business.

Secondly, Europeans have much of what the Americans have decided with the Asian TPP members already agreed. Former EU Trade Commissioner and WTO chief Pascal Lamy has recently said publicly in Berlin: Many of the tariff reductions that are now gaining the Americans by TPP, the EU has long been accepted in bilateral agreements with these countries. TPP says Lamy, is in large part a rather old-fashioned FTA. One, which is going strongly to the reduction of tariffs.

But thirdly, and here it is critical, are in the FTA TPP also rules on the protection of property and patent rights. And the use largely the American economy, the other countries less. None other than the former BlackBerry CEO Jim Balsillie has criticized loudly. The Canadians complained that the TPP agreement stood rules, although the rights of American Software Industry protected – it other countries but difficult making to evolve in this area. Can one want?

In addition, the rights of US corporations are additionally secured by an extremely strong investment protection in TPP agreement: they consider their property rights damaged there, then they can use the other TPP countries before private arbitration sue for damages. The Americans have the controversial investor protection ISDS firmly anchored in this agreement. Not even the delicate reforms now proposed here, the European Commission, were taken into account. The enforcement of environmental standards and human rights is indeed called for in TPP, but the sanction mechanisms are rather weak in this field.

Still TPP is not in force. First it needs to be adopted by the parliaments, and that can be difficult, especially in the US. While urging President Barack Obama that he gets in November ahead before the end of his presidency. But especially in the US grows the protest, for fear of environmental damage and the potential dumping competition from Asia. All Democratic presidential candidate, a large proportion of MEPs and the Republican Donald Trump reject the agreement.

So it will not just some crazy Europeans a different trade policy.