How Will the FTAA Impact Public Services and Government Safeguards?
FTAA negotiators have included services as one of the many items covered by the treaty’s rules. Under the FTAA, trade in services would be “liberalized” to create “certainty and transparency” for investors. In practice, this means that government health, labor, and environmental regulations would be eroded, all under the guise of reducing “barriers to trade.” The proposed FTAA rules would also speed up the process of deregulation and privatization already underway throughout the hemisphere, a process that is eliminating public oversight of essential services.Essential Social Services Endangered:The FTAA will contain a series of commitments to “liberalize” services, which is much like the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) within the WTO. “Services” is a broad category that includes education, health care, environmental services, energy and water utilities, postal services and anything else that you can’t drop on your foot.
FTAA negotiators have included services as one of the many items covered by the treaty’s rules. Under the FTAA, trade in services would be “liberalized” to create “certainty and transparency” for investors. In practice, this means that government health, labor, and environmental regulations would be eroded, all under the guise of reducing “barriers to trade.” The proposed FTAA rules would also speed up the process of deregulation and privatization already underway throughout the hemisphere, a process that is eliminating public oversight of essential services. Essential Social Services Endangered: The FTAA will contain a series of commitments to “liberalize” services, which is much like the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) within the WTO. “Services” is a broad category that includes education, health care, environmental services, energy and water utilities, postal services and anything else that you can’t drop on your foot. Possible effects of the FTAA services agreement in
