Corporate Conquistadors in Cancun - the EU offensive for WTO-
Investment

FULL ARTICLE CAN BE READ OR DOWNLOADED FROM
 http://www.corporateeurope.org/mai/conquistadors.html

The ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in
Cancun, Mexico (September 10th-14th) will decide whether to start
negotiations on a multilateral investment agreement. The European
Commission (EC) is leading the push for a WTO-Investment agreement,
determined to consolidate the expansion of EU-based multinational
corporations. Despite heavy doses of political spin, and assurances
that it foresees only a "basic", supposedly "flexible" agreement,
there are strong indications that the EC aims for a much more far-
reaching corporate-friendly agreement in the longer-term. While civil
society remains vehemently opposed, European corporate lobby groups,
with a key role in shaping the EC's negotiating goals, are
increasingly eager for investment talks to get off the ground.