Die Mär vom freien Handel

The author contends that modern trade agreements like TTIP, CETA, and TiSA are not about 'free trade' but are tools for corporations to secure interests through secret negotiations. The text argues that these agreements erode national sovereignty, prioritize capital protection over ecological and social rights via private arbitration courts, and threaten public services through privatization. Using NAFTA and a US-Peru agreement as examples, the author claims that promises of growth and jobs often fail to materialize for citizens, benefiting only large corporations.

• The author asserts that 'free trade' is a myth because power imbalances and conflicting interests persist regardless of state intervention, meaning such agreements actually restrict the ability of sovereign states to act in the public interest.
• The document argues that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has stalled because its democratic 'one country, one vote' principle allows developing nations to resist the mandates of industrial states, leading powerful actors to pursue bilateral or multilateral agreements where they have more leverage.
• Analysis of the 1994 NAFTA agreement suggests that promises of industrialization and job growth in Mexico were false; instead, Mexico lost two million agricultural jobs and became a 'prolonged workbench' for US industry, while Canada saw increased corporate concentration through foreign acquisitions.
• The trade agreement between Peru and the USA is cited as a failure where the trade balance turned negative after 2011, labor rights were reduced, and medicine prices increased up to twenty-fold due to patent laws.
• The author criticizes investment arbitration courts as a privatized legal system that prioritizes capital protection over health, social balance, and ecosystem preservation, effectively subordinating ecological and social rights to profit.
• The 'regulatory cooperation' proposed in TTIP is described as anti-democratic because it could grant corporations institutionalized access to influence legislation before or without parliamentary involvement.
• Trade agreements like TTIP, CETA, and especially TiSA are seen as threats to public services (water, waste, health, education) by facilitating privatization and preventing 're-communalization' of services.

APA

Kekeritz, C. S. U. (2015). Die Mär vom freien Handel. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/die-mar-vom-freien-handel/

Chicago

Kekeritz, Christian Schneider, Uwe. Die Mär vom freien Handel. Green European Journal, 2015. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/die-mar-vom-freien-handel/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kekeritz |first1=Christian Schneider, Uwe |title=Die Mär vom freien Handel |publisher=Green European Journal |date=6 March 2015 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/die-mar-vom-freien-handel/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kekeritz2015die, author = {Kekeritz, Christian Schneider, Uwe}, title = {{Die Mär vom freien Handel}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/die-mar-vom-freien-handel/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }