Does Katydids Candy Still Exist?

First round of negotiations, Costa Rica, between Central America and the European Union

Street Journal in Costa Rica in the negotiations for the Acuerdo de Asociación (Ada) between the European Union and Central American countries. What scheduled October 22 to 26 is the first of ten negotiation rounds: the next, already planned, will be held in December 2007, February, April and May 2008. The Ada should be ready for 2010.
Luis Guillermo Perez, secretary general of CIFCA (Copenhagen Initiative for Central America, a network of European NGOs established to carry out work on the lobby EU institutions on the relations between the EU and Central America and Mexico), analyzed the document that governs negotiations, signed by the parties in late July, pointing out the disadvantages for the countries of Central America than the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), although in mid-September and have started negotiating with a Acuerdo de Asociación Central America.
", explains Luis Guillermo is noted in a confidential document-the presence of the governments of Bolivia and Ecuador in the Can".
A first difference is the language of the negotiations: in the case of Can, the texts of the negotiations will be in two lignue (English and English) and during the meetings there will be a simultaneous translation, as regards Central America, "Marshall Negotiating Documents Be Drafted in Inglese. "
"That's languages \u200b\u200bis an important issue-Perez note-why governments should be able to consult their own civil society, and if the lyrics are in English only a small proportion will have adequate access information and groped to affect the negotiations. In addition, it is said that the negotiators have to be necessarily bilingual. The governments of Central America should strive for the same conditions granted to the Andean Community of Nations.
A second important aspect concerns the recognition of the asymmetries existing between the parties. As for the Can, the EU has granted "special treatment and different member countries of the Community, particularly in Bolivia and Ecuador, in relation to Central America there is no reference to this award. "
Finally, the document signed by the European Union and the countries of the Andean Community of Nations establishes 14 in negotiating sub-groups Group on trade liberalization. With Central America will be only 12. Skip just what will take care of "asymmetries and special and differential treatment."

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Out Union Fenosa Nicaragua

A session of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal, meeting in Managua on 12 and 13 October, condemned Unión Fenosa . The English company, which in 1999 acquired for $ 115 million the service control electricity distribution in Nicaragua, is responsible for continuous blackouts, higher tariffs, lack of investment.

The hearing was held on the anniversary of the Conquest: more than 500 years since 1492, the privatization of local public services is the new form of colonization by European countries selected for Central America.

When drawing up their sentences the five judges of the Court invited the government to cancel the contract with Union Fenosa and the Memorandum signed by President Ortega in Nicaragua in July 2007 and to expel the multinational from Nicaragua and other countries of the region (Unión Fenosa is "strong" in Guatemala and Mexico) for "irresponsibility and violations of human rights."
The decisions of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (TPP) are not legally binding, but represent a moral condemnation and political than the work of the company. "In this case, however," explains Claudia Torelli, food Social Continental, one of the realities that promote the TPP-Unión Fenosa has made us a great favor, because in the days before and after the session of the Permanent Court said to the media communication does not recognize our legitimacy, and in so doing has put us even more in the spotlight. "
Over the past five years for those on low income rates and Disnorte Dissur (the two electricity distribution companies, controlled by the multinational) are doubled. In Managua
consumers report sudden cuts energy power of 4, 6 or even 12 hours
The company has not made the investments undertaken in the concession contract, as evidenced also by the In regular checks (the National Energy Regulatory body). Last year forty civil society organizations in Nicaragua, English and European Union have initiated a campaign "The social responsibility of ir-Union Pitiful, Nicaragua hidden .
demand the re-nationalization of the electricity distribution and the end of a model of energy supply based on the construction of mega-hydroelectric power plants.
During the session of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal There was discussion about the cases in Guatemala Unión Fenosa, Aguas de San Pedro, the privatization of water services by the ACEA of Rome, in Honduras and the English tuna company in El Salvador Calvo.