bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

health


Corporate lawsuits could devastate poor countries grappling with Covid-19
Wealthy corporations may use trade courts to keep public health measures from cutting into their profits.
Digital trade rules and Big Tech: Surrendering public good to private power
As tech giants emerge as the undisputed winners of the Covid-19 crisis, they continue to use free trade agreements to protect themselves from regulation.
Cashing in on the pandemic: How lawyers are preparing to sue states over COVID-19 measures
As governments take action to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent economic collapse, they could face multi-million dollar lawsuits.
Exclusive: Countries to face a ‘wave’ of corporate lawsuits challenging emergency COVID-19 measures
Research claims top law firms are preparing to ‘cash in’ on the pandemic by helping corporations sue states for measures that have impaired profits.
Divisions open over ‘lower agriculture standards’ in future US-UK pact
The UK government is preparing to offer increased access to the UK market for US agriculture exports and possibly lower the bar on environmental and health standards.
Union calls for equal recognition for healthcare workers
The union and its allies also asked the government not to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as they view that the restriction of rights to access medicine under the deal would put the country’s public health system in danger.
Call for ISDS moratorium during COVID-19 crisis and response
We call on the world community for an immediate moratorium on all arbitration claims by private corporations against governments using international investment treaties.
Africa must not let disputes with foreign investors undermine its Covid-19 response
There is an imminent threat of claims arising from emergency measures, so countries should review how investor-state disputes are handled.
If the government doesn’t halt trade talks with Trump, it’s learned nothing from coronavirus
The US trade model is not only unpopular with the British public, but it will also make us more vulnerable to future pandemics.
Mexico says auto factories to reopen with virus safeguards
The announcement came three days after the US government launched a campaign to get Mexico to reopen plants, suggesting the supply chain of the North American free trade zone could be permanently affected.
Mexico eyes agreement to end virus-induced disruptions to US-Mexico supply chains
Lopez Obrador said the government was reviewing the matter in the context of the entry into force of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal due to replace the 1994 NAFTA.
Corporations prepare to sue over action to save lives as pandemic reveals trade flaws
Global companies are positioning themselves to use little-known rules in trade agreements to claim millions of dollars in compensation for restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
US pressures Mexico to reopen plants amid worker walkouts
The US pressed Mexico to reopen border assembly plants that are key to the US supply chain, as part of the North American free trade zone.
Stop all trade and investment treaty negotiations during COVID-19 crisis and focus on access to medical supplies and saving lives
An open letter to Trade Ministries and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
US factories in Mexico are still open. As the coronavirus spreads, workers are dying
Maquiladoras which avoid most tariffs because their finished products are for export only, have boomed since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.
Pandemic profiteers: how foreign investors could make billions from crisis measures
Governments’ emergency actions in the wake of COVID-19 could prompt a wave of arbitration lawsuits for billions of dollars by multinational corporations and investment lawyers.
Peru warned of potential ICSID claims over covid-19 measures
Peruvian officials have warned that a proposed emergency measure suspending the collection of toll fees on the country’s road network in response to the outbreak of covid-19 could result in multiple ICSID claims.
Protecting against investor–state claims amidst COVID-19: A call to action for governments
Governments are facing an imminent threat of investor–state arbitration as they take difficult decisions to support public health systems in a time of severe economic stress.
Investment treaty claims in pandemic times: Potential claims and defenses
States around the world have taken a variety of measures seeking to stem the spread of COVID-19. It is likely that some foreign investors may seek relief and/or compensation for any losses resulting from State measures.
Epidemic sovereignty? Contesting investment treaty claims arising from coronavirus measures
Allegedly arbitrary or disproportionate measures, albeit in the public interest, provide regular grist for the mill of investment treaty arbitration.