bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

Corporate interests

Behind every free trade and investment agreement lies a set of corporate interests. Just as they have greatly influenced the shape, scope and contents of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, so too are transnational corporations (TNCs), sectoral industry coalitions and lobby groups mobilizing around specific bilateral trade and investment negotiations, to push even further than they were able to get at the WTO.

“Bilateral and regional FTAs …are formalized manifestations of where our respective private sectors have taken us…it is really business and government moving in tandem,” explained Susan Schwab, former US Trade Representative in 2006.

TNCs, whether acting individually or as part of industry coalitions such as the US Council on International Business (USCIB), the Emergency Committee for International Trade, the Coalition of Service Industries (US), BusinessEurope, the European Services Forum (EU) or Nippon Keidanren (Japan), are organized, aggressive and influential in their demands for specific FTAs. The comprehensiveness of most free trade and investment agreements means that there are many cross-cutting issues as well as separate chapters and provisions in these agreements which serve to shape policy regimes in the interests of TNCs.

last update: May 2012
photo: Mehr Demokratie e.V.


How the revolving door lets Hollywood shape Obama’s trade agenda
The revolving door between industry groups and the Obama administration’s trade shop has been busy lately.
A journey through the lobby jungle in Brussels
During the last TTIP negotiating round, CEO and the German lobby watchdog Lobbycontrol organised guided tours through the EU quarter in Brussels, focusing on the corporate lobbying behind the TTIP negotiations and the way that the European Commission allows corporations to set the agenda for the talks.
Japan business lobby calls for NZ’s efforts to strike TPP deal
The head of Japan’s most influential business lobby on Monday called on New Zealand to play an active role toward concluding talks for a Pacific free trade pact, as the 12 negotiating members struggle to overcome their differences.
CropLife America and the European Crop Protection Association discuss joint proposal during TTIP negotiations
CropLife America (CLA) and the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) called for a more harmonized risk assessment framework for pesticide regulations during the fourth round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
TTIP: American business confident no issue can derail talks, says AmCham EU
In an exclusive interview with viEUws, Susan Danger, Managing Director of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, talks to Lénaïc Vaudin d’Imécourt, viEUws Trade Editor, about the TTIP negotiations.
Trade deals a closely held secret, shared by more than 500 advisers
The details of the Obama administration’s proposals for a massive 12-nation trade zone in the Asia-Pacific region are off limits to most Americans, held close by negotiators who worry that too much openness would make it impossible to reach a deal. But a chosen few have been allowed to peek behind the curtain and share some of the most sensitive documents.
Obama admin’s TPP trade officials received hefty bonuses from big banks
Officials tapped by the Obama administration to lead the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations have received multimillion dollar bonuses from CitiGroup and Bank of America, financial disclosures obtained by Republic Report show.
Advancing regulatory cooperation in the Transatlantic trade and investment partnership
Position paper from Business Europe
GCC-Singapore free trade deal boon for Saudi firms
The Saudi-Singapore Business Council is encouraging Saudi investors to invest in Singapore instead of Europe, using the GCC-Singapore FTA as a launching pad into China.
European officials consulted business leaders on trade pact
Long before trade negotiations began with the United States this summer, European officials were consulting with business leaders from both sides of the Atlantic on how to structure a free-trade pact.