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Associated Press
Opinion
We believe fears about the TTIP are unfounded – we need to break down barriers to business
Much of the focus about the trade deal has been on big business, but little attention has been paid to SMEs and how they would benefit from it.
5.30pm, 11 Jun 2015
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WHAT IS TTIP?
There has been a lot of discussion in recent months about what the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is and what it means for Ireland.
TTIP is a free-trade agreement currently being negotiated between the EU and the US. The agreement has three main strands: improved market access, improved regulatory coherence and improved co-operation when it comes to setting international standards. Should the trade negotiations be successfully concluded, the European economy is predicted to grow by about €119 billion per year.
TTIP represents an unprecedented opportunity for two of the world’s largest economies to cooperate in order to remove barriers to trade and commerce, increase growth, and create jobs across two continents. A transatlantic trade agreement will cut unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, reduce customs duties, and lower the costs of trade for businesses. This will be of particular benefit to SMEs who often struggle with the burden of the customs bureaucracy and cost of trading internationally.
Breaking down barriers to trade
The core aim of the trade deal, and one strongly supported by the business community, will be to reduce unnecessary costs and delays associated with trading, while maintaining the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental protection regulation.
Although tariffs for European companies exporting to the US are relatively low, non-tariff barriers remain a significant obstacle, particularly for small businesses. SMEs face a range of trade barriers including unnecessarily complex regulations, licensing processes, product labelling requirements and inspection procedures.
As an example, Ireland is home to a large number of pharmaceutical and medical devices companies. Currently, the EU and the US use different criteria when it comes to factory inspections at pharmaceutical and medical devices firms. Neither territory recognises each other’s inspections, meaning any Irish firm wanting to export to the US has to go through an expensive inspection process twice. A trade deal between the EU and US would aim to eradicate these duplicate procedures, making trade more cost and time efficient.
Benefits for Ireland
TTIP is promised to be huge opportunity for Ireland. A report commissioned by the Department for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has projected that given the strong existing relationship between the Irish and US markets, Ireland is set to benefit by more than double the European average.
The main sectors predicted to benefit include; pharmaceuticals and chemicals, manufacturing industries, agri-food (notably dairy and processed food) and services. The trade deal is predicted to increase Ireland’s GDP by 1.1%, which would lead to more jobs and an increase in wages.
The trade agreement is also predicted to go a long way to reducing the cost of exporting to Irish businesses and open up US markets to a new cohort of Irish exporters.
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SMEs and trade
To date, much of the conversation has focused on how big business will be the only winner if a trade deal is agreed. Little attention has been paid to SMEs and how they will benefit from these negotiations.
Although tariffs are generally low, Irish exporters still pay in excess of $300 million per year in tariffs to the US Treasury. TTIP is expected to provide substantial reductions in tariff barriers, and this will increase trade in both directions. This move should have a particularly positive impact on SMEs, where even low tariffs are a barrier to trade.
In addition, regulatory divergence, such as complex certification procedures and duplicate standards, can be particularly burdensome to smaller firms. Large firms are able to cover the high fixed costs of dealing with regulatory complexities by exporting large volumes. For smaller firms, the regulatory burdens can prevent smaller Irish exporters from expanding into new markets. The agreement will lower fixed exporting costs and eradicate unnecessary administrative red tape, meaning Irish SMEs should feel a significant benefit.
Investment protection
Lastly, one of the more controversial aspects of the trade deal so far has been the proposed inclusion of an Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism. Opponents of the trade deal have suggested that the inclusion of an ISDS clause will result in large multinationals blocking governments from making decisions in the public interest should there be a risk to an investor’s profits. This is simply not the case.
An ISDS clause does not give corporations the power to change public policy. Every agreement, whether it is a contract or a trade treaty, requires a mechanism to ensure that the terms of the agreement can be enforced. Very simply, ISDS ensures that where a right is given, a remedy is provided. It permits foreign investors to hold states accountable to commitments that were made in their treaties.
Conversely, ISDS also gives states the right to defend and uphold decisions they have made in the public interest. In addition, a lesser known fact, published by the OECD, is that investment protection has to a large degree been sought by SMEs with large multinationals representing only about 8% of the total caseload.
We have the right to question – but also to investigate the facts
Increased coherence and co-operation between the two largest markets in the world presents an enormous economic opportunity for Ireland, with benefits for consumers and businesses alike.
It is right and proper that there is an open and informed public debate about the merits, opportunities and even the potential risks of TTIP. As the negotiations continue, we do have a right to question, but we should not have the right to say no at the outset.
There is an obligation on all of us to investigate the facts. With the tenth round of talks scheduled to take place in Brussels next month, it is vital that people engage with the debate.
Mark O’Mahoney, Director of Policy and Communications, Chambers Ireland.
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The TTIP is primarily a Trojan horse designed to make us swallow the poison pill of Investor State Dispute Settlement buried in the agreement. ISDS is a mechanism to enforce corporate dominance over sovereign nations.
For example the tobacco giant Phillip Morris (annual revenue of $80 billion) is currently suing Uruguay (GDP $53 billion) for daring to increase the size of their health warning on cigarette packets.
Here’s one of the judges who sits on the ISDS kangaroo courts:
“When I wake up at night and think about arbitration, it never ceases to amaze me that sovereign states have agreed to investment arbitration at all … Three private individuals are entrusted with the power to review, without any restriction or appeal procedure, all actions of the government, all decisions of the courts, and all laws and regulations emanating from parliament.”
The Irish state whether governed by FF or FG has always largely served the interests of domestic and international capital over those of the citizens. In this context, it’s no surprise that the current FG/Labour coalition are enthusiastic cheerleaders for TTIP and are joined in the chorus of approval by vested interests such as Chambers Ireland.
Well lets have a tv debate on vb ming said he would do it but fg are afraid to talk about it. come on mark o mahoney organise it and we c how great it is for Ireland.I can tell u mark the only people to profit from ttip is big business the ordinary joe will get f^ck all.Cheap labour and corporate control our country is corrupt to the core.https://vimeo.com/108948150 ff fg labour traitors are not to be trusted.
Global Corporate behemoths haven’t exactly excelled over the years in conducting their affairs in a manner that not only benefits their shareholders but also society in general.
Recall how international banking fuc*ked up global economies during the last decade, all because Governments and Banking Regulators “lifted the tail” and allowed themselves be screwed over and over by such beasts. And us little people were lumbered with the tab from the catastrophic fallout.
Waddlers example involving Philip Morris Inc provides further evidence that Governments must stand up and fight for what’s right, fair and healthy for its citizens.
No Corporate entity should be allowed sue a State for losses resulting from any legislation introduced for the good of Society.
Irish Government, no more toadying to Big Business. Invite them in,for sure, but on reasonable sustainable terms where everyone wins, not just the shareholders. Otherwise the world will become one giant cesspit with the 1% controlling all the wealth.
“This blatant business lobbying reveals perhaps why MEPs are lowering their guard against a treaty that is a serious threat to our democracy, workers’ rights and our environmental standards. This email demonstrates clearly that TTIP has become a corporate charter and big business are pressuring MEPs to ride roughshod over our hard-fought-for social and environmental standards on the premise that such standards are a barrier to business. We will see in next week’s vote whether MEPs – and the socialists in particular – vote according to the values they profess to hold or whether they cave in to the business lobby.”
If you don’t want to be subject to a secret court that can over rule the Constitution of Ireland and the Dail, then sign this petition to the European Parliament to have TTIP discussed, debated and stopped in the EU parliament. https://stop-ttip.org/
Mark O’Mahoney – Author – Haven’t we had the greatest examples of Big Business Bullying and Corruption in this Country over the past eight years already ?
Why would we need any more of it bestowed on us by USA & EUROPE ?
If Denis O’Brien is an example of it already in this little Country – well I don’t think that it’s for us Irish Citizens, already reeling from Exploitation !!!
How could Mark make such wild exaggerated claims that this will benefit us? We havn’t even been allowed to read the feckin thing and either has he. This is about control and takeover. Resist this “free trade agreement” at all costs.
The day that a corporation can hold a state, and thus the will of its people, to account for changing a law that infringes on a previously established contract or treaty is the day we may aswell tighten our already present but still slightly loose handcuffs.
“There has been a lot of discussion in recent months about what the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is and what it means for Ireland.” Starting your article with a gross exaggeration is a poor start to reassuring us of TTIP’s benefits. I don’t recall Enda Kenny discussing it with the Irish electorate even though he has cheer led for TTIP with Obama at the White House on Patrick’s Day and with Merkel in Berlin last year. Not one discussion on it in the Oireachtas, in fact, despite the potential impact on the quality of Irish food production.
I’m actually amazed at the stance taken by the “Director of Policy and Communications, Chambers Ireland” on this. While making the US market more easily accessible is an obvious benefit to Irish industry, I find it astounding that this article completely ignores the threat posed by allowing food and medicines (in particular) that may be produced under less stringent regulations (and therefore cheaper) to enter the Irish market to compete with Irish-produced goods. This situation would be compounded by the ISDS mechanism, since legislation requiring that GM or hormone-enhanced foods be labelled as such could be seen as a ‘barrier to profit’ and therefore challenged. The concept behind TTIP is probably a good idea, but as it currently stands, it’s a very dangerous prospect that could actually wipe out swathes of our SME sector.
All this for 1.1% GDP growth? If the Irish economy grew by 4.5% last year this would equate to approx. two and a half month’s GDP growth. I’d much prefer to delay gratification for a few months rather than let this monstrosity of a treaty come into force.
If you don’t want a secret court that can over rule the Dail and constitution, sign this petition to stop TTIP in the European Parliament. https://stop-ttip.org/
I would not worry about this source. Unlike other industry groups that ask their members what their opinion is on policies, Chambers Ireland use the mandatory membership of chamber of commerce to put forward “policy directors”, who are essentially political science graduates who are trying to use these organisations lack of govt lobbyists to make a platform for their own political careers. Looking through the thousands of policy directors throughout the EU, there is not one minute of SME or business experience between them.
Notwithstanding this lack of credibility, not one of the aspects of TTIP that are mentioned ad nauseum for the last year have been addressed… I.e. Closed corporate arbitration and exposure of national governments to restrict policy change to private interests, due to fear of being sued by EU level parliaments.
Can Martin perhaps reply to some concerns with clarity around a few of the areas that may be of concern
1. Floridas Minimum wage is equivalent of Euro 7.15 per hour – is there any prospect or provision funder TTIP or US companies to be able to set up here and pay what they see as their minimum wage ??
2. Can major US coprs like Walmart decide to open here and apply their rates and operating procedures without incuring what they see as the more expensive european costs associated with doing business here ? Surely if they play the TTIP card they will only force more SMES particularly in retail out of business here (like they have done in the USA already )
3. Can US companies set up and ignore the local and european enviromental protections / rules and then seek protection for prosecution if they for example pollute our rivers under TTIP as has been suggested ??
4, your example of pharma companies having to complete two sets of inspections suggests they could lower costs and benefit consumers – but currently drugs that are already manufactured here by big pharma are extremenly expensive for the HSE etc and the track record for them gougin prices in the Irish market has been a scandal – why should we believe they will reduce the costs here just because they get lower costs in the US inspections – they will say in future that only helped reduce the costs for their exports and help overseas profits but they have a poor track record without TTIP already – we were worles leading local manufacturer of Viagra in ireland but the costs were not lower here than anythwere else in the world
Some clarity about the potential downsides would add balance to your piece
So many questions & legitimate concerns are being ignored by the powers that be on both sides that investigating the facts are about as possible as finding the Ark ! One major concern is global corporate interests being allowed to sue govts behind closed doors – what could possibly be wrong with that? Ttip- no thank you.
The very best estimates for growth from the EU commission itself is 0.5% by 2027, that’s over 12 years.
So…the fans of TTIP are telling porkies to try push it over the line.
Luke Ming Flanagan is our only MEP actually asking questions of this TTIP , he made an idiot out of Richard Bruton at a breakfast meeting when he confronted him with the same facts .
Matt Carthy and Lynn Boylan are asking questions and drawing attention to it also.. I was very disappointed to see Marian Harkin voted yes to postponing the debate on TTIP in the EU Parliament yesterday.
“An ISDS clause does not give corporations the power to change public policy.”
No…but it will have a chilling effect on changing policy or make it ineffective…
We already have our own court system that has been working out such issues for companies we do not need a system outside our own.
We’ve had multinationals in Ireland without need for an ISDS. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/corporate-courts—-a-big_b_5826490.html
[This mechanism has allowed for countless cases in which multinationals are given more power than citizens -- recently, a French transportation company brought an ISDS case against Egypt for raising the minimum wage and a Swedish corporation is using ISDS to sue Germany over its decision to phase out nuclear power. Given the staggering amounts that are sometimes at issue, like a $1.7 billion (that's billion with a B) award plus more than half a billion in interest that Ecuador must pay to Occidental Petroleum Corp. and the more than $1.6 billion that Poland paid the Dutch company Eureko (now known as Achmea) to settle an ISDS case, it's impossible to argue that these cases -- or even the threat of these cases -- do not have a chilling effect on public decision making.]
TTIP is a Trojan Horse carrying in it’s belly profit protection at the cost to the taxpayer and not the investor.
Al Ca, we have already had a taste of ISDS and what it means. The bank bailouts, the being made to pay bondholders, and the resultant austerity measures forced on us, is a prime example of ISDS at work. The government said they had no choice but to pay. They had no mandate to pay it, but democracy means nothing when ISDS does its work.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer that economics in capitalism and when Kenny meets Dennis the menace he kisses him on both cheeks then Dennis pulls his trousers up.
Right now our government is being sued by cigarette manufactures because they are being ‘forced’ to put warnings and pictures on cigarette and tobacco sachets. If TTIP passes, this would not have even been a case as it would have been settled before it started – the Irish governments law which puts warning labels and photos on tobacco products reduces tobacco sales, therefore the Irish government would not be able to do so as it would infringe on the tobacco companies right to sell a product in a free market.
That is just one example. TTIP basically gives corporations more power than the government and any legislation in regards to a companies behvaiour or the products it sells cannot inferfere with the companies bottom line.
Expect alcohol ads back on telly and all over every sporting event, as that will of course be the next thing corporations move forward with if this passes, along with forcing Ireland to use GMOs, transfats, or anything else the corporations from other countries want to sell here which is currently banned or regulated. TTIP says no government can restrict a company or its sales, which basically means not only will Ireland have to obey EU laws, we also will be subjected to the will of corporations which will have even more power than the EU.
I wonder what it would mean for US gun manufactures who want to sell guns here? As like tobacco and alcohol TTIP is pretty clear about not letting countries stop selling items based on local laws.
TTIP even without ISDS will require negotiations for common regulations and restrictions between Europe and the U.S. Given that our regulation standards are far higher than those of the U.S., it will mean either a tightening of theirs or the loosening of ours. Which is most likely do you think? I wouldn’t be surprised if they are getting everyone to focus on ISDS, just to remove it before the agreement is set in stone. The majority of people will see the removal of ISDS as a win and opposition will back down, leaving them free to negotiate our regulations out of existence.
TTIP break down the “barriers to business’ aka regulation and oversight. Global Business’s have little enough of a check by soverign governments as it is. We dont need another 119 billion for the European economy in the short term if it will cost us another 1.4 Trillion in the next collapse brought about AGAIN by a lack of regulation and oversight. And that’s just the start of the problem – there’s a huge democratric defict here. The TTIP also contains provisions making it illegal to boycott or even label goods manufactured in Illegal Israeli settlements as such, which undermines the ability of the EU to have a foreign policy independant of the maniacs in the US congress. The TTIP also provides for secret courts “ISDS arbitration” which constitute an attempt to escape the jurisdiction of national courts and bypass the obligation of all states to ensure that all legal cases are tried before independent tribunals that are public, transparent, accountable and appealable. In short, the TTIP is a cash for democracy deal. No thanks.
All the media outlets trip over themselves to publish articles endorsing this agreement, embellishing the text with pictures of shiny happy people shaking hands telling of endless growth and prosperity even though the same media outlets aren’t privy to the content of the agreement in full or its full implications.
Have NONE of the mainstream media outlets any misgivings about the secret negotiation’s, lack of debate and consultation with the populace that this agreement seeks to subjugate? This thing Stinks, plain and simple, anyone who delves deeper than the glossy headlines cannot come away with anything but the feeling that corporate interests are trying to circumvent the laws and institutions that protect the ordinary citizen. Look into the existing agreements, the power balance has already shifted folks! Lobby your MEP! At least get them to educate themselves as to what they’re voting on!
“Chambers Ireland – In Business, For Business” is your man’s company.
Sounds like a “common purpose” type lobbying group, three steps removed from a fancy suit and bluetooth earpiece cult.
also, none of his rebuttals actually answer the many concerns, they just paint over it with rhetoric and mantra. typical cult, I suppose!
TTIP is a monster, as is NAFTA/TPP, and all the current deals being discussed. They all seek to lock in profits for outdated and unnecessary business models and give the US an advantage (it’s they that insist on the secrecy).
and another thing – I did one of those “email all your MEP” things, and got replies from Matt Carthy, Brian Crowley and Deirdre Clune (all bulk replies obviously).
Clune’s read, almost word for word, like the above piece. They have this well scripted, they know what their roles are and are paying their masters’ heed. All the EPP members, essentially Fine Gael on tour, want this wrapped up sharpish so they can get another pat on the head from their EU betters.
Anybody pushing this to be foisted on the peoples of the planet should maybe think about leaving it . The shortsighted greedy machineminds never contemplate the human misery these treaty’s entail. If this goes through I would encourage people to stop having children straight away for they will have less rights than them poor misfortunates we see in sweatshops . These souless profit driven people if you could call them that worship the power of the monster corporation they are fanatical and will usher in the degeneration of the human race to a degree that self hate will be the norm. This I the big picture here human rights gone profit margins up up . You think they care about us no robots will have your jobs corporations will run your country and us well were rendered obsolete. Get this through our heads you ate not protected from anything because your a human being these power junkies have been on a high for decades they have list all apathy they think your average person is a slave . Balls in our court now. Reject this and reject it by all means. Let us not be sleepwalked into a world were the junkies run the drugstore.
Mark: one of the biggest things I take issue with (and there are many things about TTIP that are insane) is the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism that they’re looking at including. If brought in, it would enable US companies investing in Europe to challenge EU governments directly at private international tribunals, whenever they find that changes in law in the area of public health, consumer, environmental or social protection interfere with their profits. Guess which recently launched health directive that would affect here?
Mark, honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself for peddling this. TTIP is quick-buck economics which would have massive repercussions and change the way things are regulated forever. It is a terrible, terrible idea.
Over the last 40minutes or so i have written two rebuttals to this article here in the comments section. Neither have been allowed. WHY? Is real debate on this issue not being allowed?
I have tried once more to put my opinion about TTIP, ISDS and this governments role in making this country TTIP ready in another comment. Once more it has been refused. Where is the informed debate on this issue, as spoken about in the above article, to be seen here?????
TIPP won’t give corporations the power to change public policy true but it will give them the power to cause major financial hardship for any country that doesn’t accept the lowest standards in employment law, safety and environmental standards and corporate oversight, in other words, they have a choice but its not much of a choice.
People complain that the EU makes so much of our laws but at least we have some representation in Brussels, we will have no such representation if TIPP goes ahead and most of our laws relating to the conduct of private companies (many of whom will take over public services) are made in Washington.
TTIP= big business suing governments for loss of earnings when they don’t get what they want. That is all anyone needs to know regarding this abomination.
“There is an obligation on all of us to investigate the facts. With the tenth round of talks scheduled to take place in Brussels next month, it is vital that people engage with the debate.”
What pray are we to debate about when the negotiations are conducted in *total secrecy*?
Your article is pure waffle – vague aspirations of happiness wthout any basis in hard information.
“Dere’s jobs lads. Sure and it will be grand!”
As another opined, Denis O’Brien is only trotting after what is coming up behind TTIP and ISDS.
“There is an obligation on all of us to investigate the facts”
This includes you, eejit!
why haven’t you written one negative aspect of ttip? you are either being lobbied or you haven’t done your research properly. my understanding of ttip is that it is being flagged as this great opportunity for sme’s very cleverly but what it’s actually doing is making it easier for massive corporations to get away with what they want to get away with. they will be able to sue governments ie taxpayers if their profits are affected and override court decisions. watch our food quality change when the likes of Monsanto and other cancer creators get their way. also say goodbye to any natural resources we have left, which isn’t much to be fair. TTIP is doomsday to me and I can’t stress that enough
A stooge for ‘Chambers Ireland’ speaks up for TTIP. Oh what a surprise (not)… they don’t even remotely represent the SME sector, even tho’ they will BS they do. It’s all about the mega Corporations.
Huge numbers of citizens continue to vote against their own interests, believing the mass brainwashing cr@p of macro economics as household finance, and trusting some supposed ‘centrist’ self-serving (and Capital/Financial Asset owner interest serving) politician & party.
Equally, many SMEs will also tend to swallow the nonsense that what serves big Capital & the increasingly dominant Financial Capital sector is somehow in their interests. The divide has never been greater between big Capital and the SME sector, for whom I have great respect (having worked closely as a senior manager with small business owners), just as the divide between Labour and big Capital increases to new heights, not seen since the nastiness of the 19th Century.
As ever, what is missing is the understanding that +macro+ economics is a circular flow, encompassing all, where one persons income is what they to spend to provide the next persons income.
What ultimately matters is that maximimum use is made of resources for the greater +real+ living standards of all (no matter how the wage and Capital return pie is divided up).
We do not achieve that by creating mass unemployment – people are our greatest resource. Both as Labour that produces the ‘real’ wealth that we use or consume, AND as full spending->income->spending> etc participants in the circular MACRO economic flow.
And what creates mass unemployment is money that is removed from the circular flow and parked, hoarded or gambled in the now vastly bloated Finance casino. (The latter as big as it ever was despite the Finance derivatives (Mortgage Backed sEcurities etc.) Pyramid scam bust.
The only reason to (yes, deliberately) create and maintain high/mass unemployment is to transfer increasing amounts of real resources to the Capital owning classes (principally the BIG Capital/Finance owning classes) from those of wage earning (not asset renting) Labour classes.
In viewing this last decade or two, it is completely obvious that our system of democracy is all but worthless. It clearly does not represent the interests of the majority – which by definition in a system of capitalism, must always be Labour.
Capitalism is not ‘fixed’ thing, not at all. It is perfectly possible to operate a balanced system of Capitalism where Capital interests are properly balanced by those of Labour thru what should be the latter’s representative agent – democratic Government. Perfectly possible that involuntary unemployment is banished forever and aggregate living standards are maximised and much higher than now. Perfectly possible for us as a society to ensure full protection in health & wellbeing for all those unable to work (or simply of retirement age etc).
Perfectly possible to do it in a responsible way, respecting the sustainable use of natural resources. The shift to which is crying out for the un-utilised Labour resources we now waste in involuntary unemployment – simply because it suits the Capital/Finance owners to pretend the money lubricant required to maximise the circular flow of production is somehow limited. When in fact it is conjured out of thin air with nothing more than a computer keyboard, at retail Banks and Central Banks.
Of course, it’s no accident that the masses are kept in mass +MACRO+ economics ignorance, and the 19th century false ‘household budget’ are universally peddled.
Get some cop on folks that the only reason free education became useful and supported by the Capital owning elites & their bought politicians was to enable a workforce sufficiently capable of both more advanced technological tasks & also therefore to survive with sufficient health longer to get a ‘return’ on this investment.
It is this ethos that continues to be the REAL driving force in public education to this day. Think about, in all the years of schooling you are given basically squat beyond a propaganda job in how to go about properly particpating in a functioning democracy (and democraticly controlled economy).
Time to wake up and see the mass intellectual fraud, propaganda and control of a system that underneath a veneer of ballot box BS is still very much a structure that pre-dates anything we laughably call ‘democracy’ today.
if you’re not against it, you’re a fool, because you can’t have read huge swaths of it, and those are likely where the awful bits lie. no treaty of any kind should EVER have sections that the people affected by the treaty are not allowed to see before it’s ratification.
“SMEs face a range of trade barriers including unnecessarily complex regulations, licensing processes, product labelling requirements and inspection procedures.”
These are not trade barriers, i would call them standards.
That is a frightening article and should be widely read so that the growth of investor litigation against nations can be seen and understood – particularly should be read by FG Dáil hacks.
“Breaking down barriers to trade” BUT IT HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON TRADE ITS BIGGEST EFFECT WAS BIG COMPANIES OVER RULING COUNTRY LAWS. Look at what the trade agreements between Canada and the U.S. has done to companies suing Canada over everything and anything?
SME ,s will be forced out of business, faceless corpos running our country. were bad enough trying to get rid of the corruption we have.TTIP, piss off.
Jaysus, it looks great when you put it like that Mark.
However, the fact of the matter is: TTIP if ratified would put the profits of big business ahead of everything else. It would weaken the rules that protect our environment, our health, the quality of food, workers rights, the rights of consumers and much more. And it would stop future governments from rolling back on privatisation of our public services, such as the water, energy, transport, health care.
The European Parliament was forced to postpone their vote on TTIP and it was people power that made it happen. What is now clear is that support for TTIP in the Parliament is in decline and there is open resistance to ISDS, the secret arbitration court mechanism that allows corporations sue national governments. Hear this: ‘Over my dead body’ will this thing get the green light.
But TTIP would cause the price of food, meat, milk etc to go down here for cheaper stuff from America, so wouldn’t that not cost jobs here?
It would allow GMO’s in food into this country as they are allowed into this country in processed food once it is not more than 1% of the product.
TTIP was for criminals and big consumeristic businesses, and bad for small businesses.
“It is right and proper that there is an open and informed public debate about the merits, opportunities and even the potential risks of TTIP. As the negotiations continue, we do have a right to question, but we should not have the right to say no at the outset.”
Since when was it possible to have an open and informed public debate with the corporatocracy that is gradually eroding sovereignty throughout the world? Get real.
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These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Social Media Cookies
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 149 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 195 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 158 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 119 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 120 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 51 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 48 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 177 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 78 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 111 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 116 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 51 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 65 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 36 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 122 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 126 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 94 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 67 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 116 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 103 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
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