EU-Canada free trade deal ‘opens door to environmental lawsuits’
On January 21, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced his decision to consult the public on the investment provisions of a future EU-US trade deal, due to concerns about the implications of the investment chapter and the arbitration provisions allowing US investors to sue EU member states. The announcement has also led to renewed interest in the negotiations between Canada and the EU, where identical concerns are at issue. Euractiv interviewed IISD senior international lawyer Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder about the legal implications of the current negotiations between Canada and the EU.