It has always been said that multinationals and lobbies defending their interests are above state governments. In short, it prevails over economic policy. And now they want to take a step further, unless the free market agreement between the US and the EU materialises.

Already, of course, in secret, the negotiations are continuing, even though the talks on NSA espionage have slowed somewhat in recent months. However, they have resumed the convention and are going to close it immediately – as in 1998 – if the inequalities underlying it are not curbed. In fact, this convention has a similar background. Work was under way in 1998 at the MAI (Multilateral Investment Convention) and after a complaint they were forced to suspend the agreements.

According to that agreement, if a multinational invested in a State, the Government of that State could not take harmful economic measures against companies. If this were done, the loss of profits would be calculated and compensation for damages would be made to the State budgets. After all, the taxpayers would bear the payment. Fortunately, it did not succeed, but it
resumed. The current negotiations, under the dogma of free market, occupy the space of the United States and the EU and it is hoped that the citizens of both entities will gain extraordinary benefits. It should be recalled that the same idea was sold to Mexicans when they signed the North American Free Market Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. Now there is no more to be seen in what situation they are in, as the level of poverty in this country has not improved much.

What is the agreement between the two parties? In short, if an US or EU multinational carries out an investment elsewhere and the recipient country, once the investments have been made, takes an economic measure and “harms” the investor, for example by imposing higher taxes, it will require the country that has taken that measure to take the part that has ceased to win. So Mr Adelson from Eurovegas can rest assured. If you now get the smoking permit and the Spanish Government prohibits re-smoking in a few years’ time, a judge will calculate the benefits to be lost and the state budgets will have to deal with that amount of money.

Likewise, these judges will not be tried in Spain, but this convention will have special judges in their affairs, superior to the State and not controlled by anyone: appointed by the multinationals.

The economic benefits of such an agreement shall be: For those in favour of signing, the EU’s slow economy would help to break the deadlock. But the research that has been carried out has been funded by the interested parties and it is always necessary to give the right to the person who pays them. On the contrary, another study carried out from a more critical point of view points out that the GDP of both state institutions is 0.06% (!). It is said to grow; another says that the wealth of the US and the EU will increase by three cents per day per person from 2029.
The beneficial effects of this agreement will certainly not be felt by the ordinary people too much, but by the multinationals. If tax payments have hitherto been circumvented, after the agreement has been adopted, the benefits of taxation will be even more secure.

That is what our EU leaders are all about in secret. In view of this, it is not surprising that Europhobia is strengthened.