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(including its President, Adnan Kassar, Vice-Presidents Richard built-in agenda and to make existing agreements more develop- McCormick from US WEST and Nestlé's Helmut Maucher, ment-friendly. After a few years of experience within the WTO Secretary-General Maria Livanos Cattaui, and the Chairman of system, many Southern governments are more confident about ICC Germany, Ludger Staby) met with German Chancellor their positions and may not back down to US and EU pressure as Schroeder to bring him the ICC's demands for the G8 Summit two easily as they have done in the past. weeks later. The Commission's offensive to achieve another quantum leap in The ICC's agenda, like the other corporate groupings, doubles trade and investment liberalisation will predictably cause a further the new issues proposed by the European Commission: invest- deepening of the social and environmental crisis in a global eco- ment, government procurement and trade facilitation. However, nomic system that is clearly not 'Millennium-proof’. Only time the ICC statement hardly shows any signs of a softer, more con- will tell how successful the Commission's attempt to seduce ‘civil sensus-seeking line. In its message, the ICC calls on the G8 gov- society’ has been. ernments to ensure that MEAs and eco-labelling schemes do not Although the greenwashing tactics will, without doubt, per- get in the way of free trade. suade some NGOs, campaigning against the proposed Millennium Hungry for a global investment agreement, the ICC is very busy Round is quickly on the rise. A March 1999 statement, rejecting trying to persuade developing-country governments that such a the idea of such a new Round, had by June already been signed by deal would be in their interests. "If ever there was a piece of 700 citizens’ groups from all over the world. The NGOs demand international legislation that is in the interests of the developing "a moratorium on any new issues or further negotiations that world, it is a comprehensive and uniform expand the scope and power of the WTO". agreement to govern foreign direct invest- _ . Instead, they propose a fundamental review ment," claimed ICC Secretary-General Citizens’ groups In both the of the WTO system, stressing the need to Maria Livanos during a recent visit to North and South are "change course and develop an alternative, South Africa.” One can only hope that the humane and sustainable international sys- South African Government will listen to increasingly turning against tem of trade and investment relations." the many citizens' groups who leave no | the World Trade Organization A condition for any positive change is doubt about their opposition to the 'neo- due to its abysmal social and that governments move away from the dis- environmental record. colonial’ corporate investment agenda as promoted by the ICC.” astrous habit of shaping their international trade policies around the interests of large TNCs. The existing WTO agreements that FIGHTING THE WORLD TRADE are the result of this deeply flawed approach ORGANIZATION ‘MILLENNIUM BUG’ are increasingly losing legitimacy, as is the WTO as an institution. Citizens’ groups in both the North and South are increasingly Indeed, the opposition against the attempt to consolidate the failed turning against the World Trade Organization due to its abysmal —_ model of neoliberal globalisation through a Millennium Round is social and environmental record. In Southern countries, public one of the major struggles for a turn towards a more just and sus- awareness about the trade body is growing, and people's move- tainable global economy at the edge of the new millennium. =~ ments are mobilising against the free trade agenda. This is evi- dent in countries like India, where hundreds of thousands of peo- About the Authors: ple have joined public demonstrations against the WTO. Also, Corporate Europe Observatory is a research and campaign group tar- more and more parliamentarians in Southern countries are _geting the threats to democracy, equity, social justice and the environ- demanding fundamental changes in the WTO agreements which ment posed by the economic and political power of corporations and they signed without fully understanding the implications their lobby groups. This edition of Corporate Europe Observer (no. 4) y signee y unders 1s P * is from Belén Balanya, Ann Doherty, Olivier Hoedeman, Adam _ A significant number of developing-country governments, — a'anit and Erik Wesselius. An earlier CEO briefing paper, including India, Pakistan and Egypt, have been very vocal about — "MAlgalomania!", about the Multilateral Agreement on Investment their opposition to the new round, preferring to stick with the (MAI), was published in NEXUS 5/03 and 5/04. About the Authors: Corporate Europe Observatory is a research and campaign group tar- geting the threats to democracy, equity, social justice and the environ- ment posed by the economic and political power of corporations and their lobby groups. This edition of Corporate Europe Observer (no. 4) is from Belén Balanya, Ann Doherty, Olivier Hoedeman, Adam Ma'anit and Erik Wesselius. An earlier CEO briefing paper, "MAlgalomania!", about the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), was published in NEXUS 5/03 and 5/04. Endnotes (continued) digm makes our governments unresponsive to our * Corporate Europe Observatory: 64. TABD Mid-Year Report, 19 May 1999. basic economic and social needs, forces open our www.xs4all.nl/~ceo 65. ibid. economies to the advantage of external traders and * Common Front on the WTO (Canada): 66. Interview with Stephen Johnston, Brussels, 26 investors, and makes African countries ever more www.sierraclub.ca/ national/trade-env/ January 1999. dependent upon the richer industrialised countries env-guide-wto.html 67. Phone interview with Stefano Bertasi, 22 and their transnational corporations. Our countries * Council of Canadian: www.canadians.org February 1999. are being recolonised, and the responsibility of our Friends of the Earth: 68. ibid. governments to us is being replaced by their respon- | www.foe.co.uk/foei/tes/index.htm 69. Dunkel is former Swiss trade negotiator and siveness to the needs and interests of TNCs and their & www.foe.org chaired the GATT from 1980 to 1993. home governments." See www.globalpolicy.org/ * Focus on the Global South: www.focusweb.org 70. ICC, "The world business organisation in socecon/bwi-wto/afrtrade.htm. * Observatoire de la Mondialisation: 1997", brochure, p. 4. 74. Statement from members of international civil www.ecoropa.org/obs/ 71. Phone interview with Stefano Bertasi, 22 society opposing a Millennium Round or a new ¢ Green Group in the European Parliament: February 1999. round of comprehensive trade negotiations, Geneva, — www.millennium-round.org 72. Maria Livanos Cattaui, ICC Secretary-General, 2! March 1999, www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/wto/ + People's Global Action: www.agp.org during a visit to the South African ICC national wtomr-cn.html. + Public Citizen: www.tradewatch.org committee, 11 May 1999. ¢ Third World Network: www.twnside.org.sg 73. See, for instance, "Market Doesn't Replace Web Resources ¢ Transnational Institute: Need for Development Cooperation", African NGO Some campaign groups: www.worldcom.nl/tni/wto/ Declaration for UNCTAD IX, Midrand, South «A SEED Europe: www.antenna.nl/aseed/ + World Development Movement: Africa, April 1996. "The neo-liberal economic para- * ATTAC: www.attac.org www.oneworld.org/wdm/ 26 - NEXUS FEBRUARY — MARCH 2000