Poor Company: the harsh impact of British business on poor people

The British Parliament is currently examining changes to company law in what
some commentators have optimistically billed as potentially the largest shakeup
in business law for 150 years. Rather, the process is continuing to protect
corporations from serious accountability for their activities, especially where
their impact is harshest – on poor people overseas. The evidence of British
companies’ role in the abuse of human rights overseas is legion and this has
strongly continued, in fact deepened, under New Labour. Read this report (PDF document)

17 ways the European Commission is pushing trade liberalization on poor countries

Mark Curtis

In the run-up to the World Trade Organisation meeting in Hong Kong in December, the European Union is leading a big push to deepen ‘free trade’ in poor countries and open their economies to business exporters in rich countries. This grab for new markets is taking place behind an enormous amount of rhetoric about the EU’s commitment to development and the right of poor countries to ‘special treatment’ in global trade rules. This report outlines the nature of the European Commission’s big push and 17 ways it is pushing trade liberalization on poor countries.A report commissioned by Christian Aid for the European movement for trade justice.