EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht gave a speech on the TTIP today. In it, he said this about investor-state:
Investment agreements also exist for a reason. Europe's economy – and Germany's in particular – benefits from the investments our companies make in other countries. And it is a sad fact that governments in those countries sometimes use their power to treat foreign companies unfairly, putting those investments – and ultimately European jobs – at risk.
What are some of the government actions he has in mind? Putting some examples forward would help critics get a better sense of what these agreements are supposed to be about. What is the government action we should be concerned about? Most of what I see related to foreign investment and host governments is subsidies to foreign investors. Every now and then, there is an expropriation, but this is pretty rare these days, and is dwarfed by the extensive efforts to lure foreign investors in.
