CIPPIC Joins Civil Society Call for NAFTA Transparency

CIPPIC has joined with dozens of civil society groups across North America to call on Canada, the United States and Mexico to call upon the United States, Mexico and Canada "to meaningfully reform trade negotiation processes to make them more transparent, inclusive and accountable".  

NAFTA intellectual property and digital trade negotiations could potentially overhaul the normative approach of all three counties to these important areas of law.  Such discussions should actively seek civil society participation, not curtail it.  The August 18th joint letter, penned by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, specifically calls for:

• public release of text proposals by governments before negotiations, with clear processes established for members of the public to comment on them;
• consolidated versions of negotiating texts published between negotiating rounds;
• locations and times of key meetings announced well ahead of time; and
• the establishment of consultative trade groups that are broadly representative of both business and public interest stakeholders with a commitment to conducting deliberations openly.