From October 11 - 12, several hundred CEOs and high-level government representatives will meet in Stockholm for the annual gathering of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD). Behind closed doors, the largest EU and US-based corporations will present joint industry demands and discuss their implementation with EU Trade Commissioner Lamy, US Commerce Secretary Evans and an estimated 100 other European Commission and US government officials. Arguing that “the new obstacles to trade are now domestic regulations”, the TABD produces deregulation hit lists that include numerous democratically established environmental, health or safety rules on both sides of the Atlantic. Recent targets include a Danish policy to phase out ozone-depleting HFC gasses and a proposed a EU-ban on animal testing for cosmetics. The TABD's prime aim for the Stockholm meeting is to shape EU-US consensus on the launch of a new round of trade and investment deregulation talks at the WTO's Ministerial Conference in Qatar in early November.

With ATTAC Sweden and other progressive groups, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is co-organising a two-day counter-summit to protest the power of this deeply undemocratic corporate-state alliance. Speakers include Susan George (ATTAC), Mary Bottari (Public Citizen) and Ronnie Hall (Friends of the Earth).

A detailed program and other updates will be available soon on http://www.xs4all.nl/~ceo and http://www.attac.nu

For more information, contact Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO): ceo@xs4all.nl and ATTAC Sweden: Johanna.Sandahl@forumsyd.se

For more information on the TABD, see www.tabd.com or have a look at the following CEO briefings:
"TABD: Putting the Business Horse Before the Government Cart" (October 1999)
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/tabd/berlinbriefing.html
"TABD: Doing Business in Berlin" (November 1999)
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/tabd/berlinbusiness.html