By Kenneth Haar
International Secretary of the Red Green Alliance
June 7, 1999
A debate in the danish parliament on the 11th of May revealed a massive political support for the Millenium Round as proposed by the European Commission. All parties -minus the Red Green Alliance- voted in favour of a resolution calling for negotiations at the WTO on competition policy and investment, and for a "more effective" dispute settlement system.
As always the resolution called for adoption of the core ILO-conventions, and for sustainable development as one of the aims of the multialteral trading system, but as on many precious occassions avoided any specifics -including on enforcement. This is in line with a tradition developed during the past five years, that whenever new radical decisions leading to deregulation and enhancement of the powers of TNC's etc. the proposals always include a few nice words to satisfy the NGO's and the biggest party on the left, the Socialist Peoples Party.
These are some of the elements:
However any active questioning of the supposed advances reveals that no specific proposals are being written on the basis of say "sustainable development". At least nothing significant. This should lead us to conclude that what we are facing in Denmark is effective "coalition building". In an attempt to avoid any controversy the government is perfectly willing to add a little extra to gain a progressive image. But the proposal as a whole gives the government free hands to support even the most farreaching neoliberal agenda.
Unfortunately this is being done with the support from the big danish NGO's (excluding Greenpeace from the investment part). Not long ago 13 NGO's issued a document stating their support for investment and competition policy at the WTO. Since then some of them have lobbyed on the issue in order to make sure that these two issues were put on the agenda on the basis of the National Treatment and Most Favoured Nation principles.
What distinguishes them from the neoliberals in parliament and elsewhere, are of course little words like "sustainable development". And since this word was indeed put in the resolution, the NGO's are very satisfied -and puzzled or even furious with the opposition of groups like the Red Green Alliance. So, this is the magic of sustainable development. An excellent tool for coalition building. In the coming months we shall see if the NGO's, the government, or the parties behind the resolution can be persuaded to be very precise on the gains of their support for the Millenium Round.
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