November 9, 2015 Last week, after many years of painful negotiation, the final text for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was released. This is the text that the U.S. Congress and Parliaments from 11 other countries will consider. At the moment, it is far from a slam dunk that it
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Megan Arendt Office: 202-659-4310 Email: arendtm@ash.org Tobacco Carve-Out in TPP, Major Victory for Public Health Removes New Weapon for Tobacco Industry WASHINGTON, DC – Monday, October 5, 2015 – In a major victory for public health, negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement concluded this morning
No final consensus has been reached on whether any exclusion would target only tobacco companies or shield a wider range of government regulations from legal action, but Australia’s Andrew Robb is optimistic about his country’s push for a broad carve-out for both health and environmental regulations. “I think we’re on
But tobacco farmers are not part of the game Mitch McConnell and other pro-tobacco politicians have become very vocal over the past two weeks in their opposition to a potential partial tobacco exemption in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. And just as in so many other political debates, they are
By Krista Hughes WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) – The United States has floated excluding tobacco products from a key section of a 12-nation Pacific trade deal and signaled it may present a formal proposal to trading partners at talks in Australia, sources briefed on the negotiations said. Dropping tobacco from
33rd Congressional District of California Rep. Henry A. Waxman For Immediate Release: October 30, 2013 Karen Lightfoot (Waxman): (202) 225-5735 Doug Molof (Doggett): (202) 225-4865 Chris Meagher (Capps): (202) 225-3601 Reps. Waxman, Doggett, Capps, and Over 50 Members Urge Administration to Strengthen Tobacco Proposal for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement WASHINGTON,
President Barack Obama‘s absence from a meeting of leaders from Asia Pacific dealt a symbolic blow to efforts to forge a regional trade pact. But Mr. Obama’s no-show, due to the drama of debt-ceiling talks in Washington, has little practical effect on the trade talks. Before news of Mr. Obama’s
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei – The Malaysian government is poised to table a proposal here that would completely carve out tobacco control measures from having to comply with any obligations in a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, according to informed sources. The proposal, which would effectively shield TPP governments from any
The Malaysian government is expected to carve out tobacco from the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in a soon to be convened special Cabinet meeting, according to an official from the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC). MCTC president Dr Molly Cheah said the Ministry of International Trade and
ASH Review: Second Quarter Edition 2013 In May, the 17th round of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was held in Lima, Peru. ASH representative Eduardo Bianco travelled to Lima to meet with delegates and educate them on the urgency of the tobacco issue. Once again, the U.S. failed to
Health advocates in Southeast Asia hope the 16th round of the negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) would acknowledge tobacco products are harmful and cause disease and death. There are 125 million smokers in the ASEAN region and tobacco related deaths are the top killer. Sadly, these deaths
Talks on a tobacco exception in a free trade agreement between the United States and ten other countries in the Asia-Pacific region – the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) – became the subject of many unanswered questions during the stakeholder briefing with chief negotiators at Sky City on Friday, 7 Dec
The 15th negotiating round of the ongoing TransPacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement will end tomorrow in Auckland, New Zealand. This marks the fourth round that U.S. negotiators have failed to “table” (formally propose) a special exception protecting governments’ right to legislate on tobacco, which they promised back in May.
A letter from TPP Medical Student Association Presidents including the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) went out to TPP negotiators asking for access to the negotiating text as well as revisions or removal of provisions that threaten public health including tobacco. Stating that “Tobacco alone is responsible for
ISDS stands for Investor State Dispute Settlement. I know, spelling it out doesn’t help comprehension much. It is a term of art for trade law policy wonks. Unlike most unnecessarily long bits of lingo, this one is dangerous, especially for tobacco control. The United States is insisting that it be
Two state governments have called on the USTR to carve tobacco out of the TransPacific Partnership Agreement over well-grounded concerns that their own state and local tobacco control initiatives will be threatened by international trade tribunals. Maine and Vermont, both leaders among U.S. states in protecting their people’s health, sent
h How can you remove tobacco from trade treaties without harming trade for useful products? h h h h When has the tobacco industry sued a country for trying to protect their citizens’ health? h What makes it irreconcilable? h How many people have died since tobacco started benefiting from
