31.03.2014 - 12:00 [ Techdirt ]

USTR Starts To Panic Over Calls To Take Corporate Sovereignty Out Of TAFTA/TTIP

The pressure is really building on the US and EU over the corporate sovereignty provisions in TAFTA/TTIP. As we reported back in January, the European Commission has put on hold the negotiations for the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) chapter while it conducts a public consultation on the subject. The USTR seemed to be trying to tough it out, but it has finally cracked and released what it calls „The Facts on Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Safeguarding the Public Interest and Protecting Investors“ in an attempt to bolster support for the idea. Its mere existence shows that the USTR is worried about losing the ISDS argument in the court of public opinion, and the answers, many of which are misleading or downright wrong, confirm this. Here‘s the rationale for releasing the document: