The final definitive Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), eagerly awaited since the Agreement in Principle was signed nine months ago, appears to have hit a rough patch.
News from Berlin suggest that Germany will not accept the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions in CETA as they currently stand. Nor would such provisions be accepted in negotiations of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and USA.
Anti-corporate activists around the world are declaring victory, though perhaps a bit prematurely. Neither CETA nor TTIP are damaged beyond repair. But German concerns and demands cannot be ignored.
Why has this crisis emerged now? In fact, this is not a new position for Germany. It has made quite clear on several occasions it did not support the inclusion of Investor-State Dispute Settlement in the TTIP.
Read more at: http://ipolitics.ca/2014/07/27/germany-throws-down-gauntlet-in-ceta-investor-state-negotiations/