TTIP

Hi everybody!

I have just read an article in the online edition of the “The LOCAL” and it talks about a activists protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a free trade deal being negotiated between the US and EU countries.

I thought you might be interested, because “Our future is not for sale”!

The TTIP will create the world's largest regional free trade area. The agreement aims at removing trade barriers to transatlantic trade.

The official line is that TTIP will create jobs and increase economic growth.

At first view TTIP will be good for the people of the European Union for the reasons e.g.:

·           TTIP represents a opportunity to expand jobs.

·           TTIP will help to provide better public services.

·           TTIP would create new business opportunities for small and large companies.

I think the proposed free-trade agreement TTIP serves the interests of corporations and not of citizens!

In my opinion the agreement have many negative effects:

·           TTIP gives companies the right to sue governments if they think there was a loss of

        future profits.

·           The agreement will make it easier for companies to earn profits from the public water

        supply, health and education systems.

·           Practices that are legally allowed in the U.S. would legally be permitted in the EU (e.g.

       genetically-modified food).

·           Making fracking legal in Europe.

·           TTIP is practically irreversible.

At the moment the next round of negotiations are in New York.

Nowhere else in Europe is TTIP more hotly debated than in Austria.

A huge alliance of groups have come together to organise protests against the trade deal.

What do you think about TTIP?

 

Regards

Jakob

 

 

 

FAIR TRADE SCHOOL

Hi everybody!

I have just read an article in the online edition of the “Oberösterreichischen Nachrichten” and it talks about a fair trade school in Sattledt.
I thought you might be interested, because I think to change into a fair trade school is a really good idea.

The Fair Trade Project starts, because of the “Agenda21” process in Sattledt. The “Agenda21” is an economic program. The idea of „be fair“ was utilized, “Bewusster Konsum soll mehr Gerechtigkeit bringen”.

Also aid projects in Rwanda were supported since the year 2000 by the school. And once an African priest visits the pupils in the school in Sattledt and told them their situation in their homeland.

The headmaster Alois Schlattner said that it was easy to start the Fair Trade Project at their school because of such initiatives.

There are currently 12 fair trade schools in Austria, the nearest one is located in Linz which has received this label on 23rd March 2015.

There are 5 criteria required for becoming a fair trade school.

1. a fair trade school team

2. a signed plan of campaign form the headmaster

3. in at least two subjects fair trade topics have to be discussed

4. fair trade products must be provided at school

5. as the minimum one project has to be realized every year

What do you think about a school change into a Fair Trade school?

Regards

Jakob