Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I refute that comment. I even read what the Minister says on this matter. How can he say that I have a closed mind on the issue?

The TTP is a forerunner of the TTIP. It is interesting that Mr. Lori Wallach of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch has pointed out some of the roll-backs on the TPP, stating, with regard to access to affordable medicines, that the TPP's rules on patents for both developing countries and the United States would roll back initial reforms and make medicines more expensive in pretty dramatic ways. He adds that the investor state dispute resolution system is actually expanded so that more types of law can be attacked, and many more companies will be able to attack the laws of all countries party to the trade deal. In Europe alone, only a fraction of US companies are able to avail of the investor state dispute mechanism. It is worrying that if we sign the TTIP, 47,000 US-owned companies in Europe will be able to use the investor state dispute mechanism in order to challenge state regulation.

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