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Trade and investments

Article as analysis

Mercosur: fragmented impact assessments

After the conclusion of negotiations on the free trade agreement with Mercosur countries, the State Secretariat for the Economy commissioned an impact assessment regarding selected environmental issues. Social affairs and human rights were left out.

Article as analysis

The World Bank's flagship ranking in doubt

The data in the World Bank's Doing Business ranking table are thought to have been manipulated to favour China, among others. Criticised for its bias towards economic liberalisation, the table is losing even more credibility.

Article as analysis

Making (even more) money from the corona crisis

In Latin America, multinational enterprises are suing States over measures they have taken to combat the covid 19 pandemic. Investment protection treaties that allow this should be abolished!

No more EFTA power play against the South!

250 organisations from 60 countries are calling on Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein in an open letter to stop imposing strict plant variety protection laws on the countries of the global South.

fossil fuel

Article as analysis

Rolling back globalisation – slowly but surely

The call can no longer be ignored, production offshored to low-wage countries must be brought back. The more pressing a paradigm shift, the more careful the approach must be. Otherwise developing countries could yet again pay the price.

Article as analysis

Back to «normal»?

The corona pandemic is not just an epoch-making health and humanitarian challenge, but in many developing countries will also translate into a protracted economic, political and social crisis. International solidarity is needed now more than ever.

Political article

Tomatoes with a bitter aftertaste

Cofco Tunhe, the world's second-largest producer of canned tomatoes, operates in Xinjiang, where China oppresses millions of Uyghurs. The Cofco Group has set up its global trading headquarters in Geneva. Switzerland must act.

Political article

After the elections...

Much has already been written about the 2019 parliamentary election results. One searched the media in vain for an assessment of their implications for Switzerland‘s development policy approaches or its foreign policy.

Political article

Driver of development, neo-colonialism – or both?

With the Belt and Road Initiative, China is pushing global development in a manner unparalleled to date. But how sustainable are the “new silk roads”? Switzerland wants a piece of the cake and has signed a memorandum of understanding with China.