>From: "Claudia K White" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [StopWTORound] Anti-WTO Campaign to Centre on Services > Date: > Fri, 01 Dec 2000 14:42:21 +0100 > From: > Marc Maes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >TRADE: Anti-WTO Campaign to Centre on Services >By Gustavo Capdevila > >GENEVA, Nov 30 (IPS) - The protests announced for next week in Nice, >France, during the European Union (EU) summit, may serve as a preview >of >future campaigns against globalisation and trade liberalisation. > >A march convened by European labour unions and civil society groups >for Dec >6 is intended as a protest against the liberalisation of services, >such as >health, education and culture, outlined by the World Trade >Organisation (WTO). > >In Nice, the EU heads of state and of government are to discuss a new >distribution of power among the bloc's member countries, and among >civil >society organisations, including their authority to negotiate certain >matters in the WTO. > >The norms of the European bloc reserve specific issues in the area of >trade >policy, like services, investment and intellectual property, for the >''shared responsibility'' of the European Commission - the EU's >executive >body - and the 15 member countries. > >In these matters, as established in Article 133 of the Amsterdam >Treaty >that regulates the EU, the countries can veto the commitments made >between >the WTO and the Commission, which is currently presided by Italy's >Romano >Prodi, and made up of 19 commissioners. > >But the European official in charge of trade, the French socialist >Pascual >Lamy, and ''the pressure groups consisting of transnational >corporations - >his allies - have high hopes'' that the Nice summit will modify that >article, according to writer Susan George, who heads the Globalisation >Observatory. > >If that occurs, the fight against neo-liberal globalisation will be >forced >many steps backwards, she warned. > >Lamy's intention, according to George, is to apply the same system of >qualified majority the EU uses for taking decision on trade matters, >such >as those involving industrial goods, to the areas of services, >investment >and intellectual property. > >Qualified majority is based on a distribution of votes according to >the >demographic weight of the 15 EU members. > >Thus, France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy each have 10 votes, >Spain >follows with eight, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands and Portugal each >hold >five, Austria and Sweden have four, Denmark, Finland and Ireland have >three, and Luxembourg holds one. > >This system of voting requires a majority of 62 votes to approve a >given >resolution, while 26 votes are needed to block any measure. > >But Germany is attempting in parallel talks to ensure that leaders at >the >Nice conference revise the distribution of votes, recognising it as >the >most populous country of the EU and granting it more votes than >France, >Great Britain and Italy. > >The two matters to be debated at the summit - the reform of Article >133 and >the distribution of votes - are closely related to the uncertain >future of >the EU's trade policy, and are a source of concern to the >organisations >involved in the planned march in Nice. > >George affirmed that Lamy is developing a campaign so that the >qualified >majority will be applied to the three areas of services, investment >and >intellectual property. > >The service sector includes health, education, audio-visual, >transport, >environment and public services. Intellectual property is currently a >hot >issue as far as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). > >George, born in the United States and now a naturalised French >citizen, >maintains that the European Commission, which shares Lamy's approach, >''wants liberalisation right and left'' at the WTO. > >Michel Servoz, lead European negotiator in the services area, has said >''health and education are ripe for liberalisation,'' according to >George's >mention in her political document ''Red Alert.'' > >A WTO source, who requested anonymity, denied that the institution is >discussing the matter of liberalising government- provided services. > >But the source predicted that talks aimed at expanding the >liberalisation >of services, initiated in January, would become a target for the most >staunch opposition of the WTO, such as the groups and individuals that >disrupted its Ministerial Conference in the US city of Seattle a year ago. > >George, in turn, predicts that if Lamy's proposals succeed, the >European >Commission will be completely beholden to neo-liberal doctrines and >the >demands of the major industrial and financial corporations. > >The protesters planning to march the streets of Nice next Wednesday >will >speak out in defence of the concept of public service, which the >European >Commission ''intends to eliminate under the pretext of competition,'' >she >stressed. > >-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> >eLerts >It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! >http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/0/_/_/_/975684300/ >---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >--------- End Forwarded Message --------- > > > >Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com > > >______________________________________________________________________ >To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. 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