Is there any litigation in Germany against Bayer for the slave labor cases?
MIMKES: No, the most important litigation is here in the United States. I’m in contact with the lawyers here — Mel Weiss’ office in New York. CCR: So far, we have covered three areas — environment and health and safety in Germany, worker and product standards in Third World countries, and the slave labor cases. MIMKES: Yes, we also examine Bayer’s influence on politics in Germany. Bayer is in all of those lobby groups. CCR: How would you describe the company’s politics? MIMKES: They are in favor of deregulation of the economy, and what they call free trade. They are in favor of a free trade zone with the United States. That’s their next goal. That would strip governments of consumer and environmental protections. Consumer loss would then be taken as a hindering of free trade. They work through the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) or the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue (TABD), which has close ties with the European Union and with the American government. It has been shown very
