Cecilia Olivet

Cecilia Olivet

Project Coordinator, Economic Justice, Corporate Power and Alternatives Programme.

Cecilia Olivet is a political scientist who specialises in the European Union's trade and investment agenda, the international investment regime and regional integration issues.  Cecilia is Uruguayan, has a BA degree in International Relations from Universidad de la República in Uruguay and an MA in International Politics and East Asia from Warwick University, UK. In 2005, she joined TNI where she contributes to the Economic Justice, Corporate Power and Alternatives team with research, analysis, campaigning and network facilitation. She coordinates the initiative People's Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms (PAAR) and is involved in the work of networks such as Seattle to Brussels (S2B), Our World is not for Sale (OWINFS) and Bi-regional Network Europe-Latin America Enlazando Alternativas.

Cecilia is currently a member of a Commission established by Presidential decree to audit Ecuador's bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and investment arbitration cases. The new commission, known by its acronym CAITISA, was formally launched in October 2013. 

Areas of expertise:

European Union's trade and investment agenda, the international investment regime and regional integration issues

Contact

e-mail: ceciliaolivet[at]tni.org
twitter: CeOlivet

English; Spanish

Netherlands
52° 22' 25.6836" N, 4° 53' 27.366" E
See map: Google Maps

Selected publications

Download photos

Recent content by Cecilia Olivet

Rethinking regionalisms in times of crises

October 2013
Alternative Regionalisms: , Democratisation of Europe: , People-centered regional integration: , Regional Alternatives in Africa: , Regional Alternatives in Asia: , Regional Alternatives in Latin America:
The demand for people-centred regional alternatives has been at the core of people’s struggles in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. This reader pulls together perspectives of social movement activists, describing the restrictive regional spaces within which they work and propose regional alternatives.

Latin America and Caribbean governments meeting on investment regime

May 2013
International Investment Regime and BITs:
On 22 April, government representatives from Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, St. Vincent and Grenadine, Venezuela, Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico met in Guayaquil (Ecuador) for the 1st Ministerial Meeting of the Latin American States affected by transnational interests.

The right to say no

May 2013
Agrarian Justice: , EU Trade Policy & FTA's: , International Investment Regime and BITs:
As European Union (EU) member states consider the implications of environmentally risky shale gas development (fracking), negotiations are underway for a controversial EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) which would grant investors the right to challenge governments’ decision to ban and regulate fracking.

Arbitrators’ Role in the Recent Investment Arbitration Boom

March 2013
EU Investment policy: , EU Trade Policy & FTA's: , International Investment Regime and BITs:
In the 2012 report Profiting from Injustice, jointly published by Corporate Europe Observatory and the Transnational Institute, we boldly asserted that law firms, arbitrators and third-party funders have, over the past two decades, helped maintain an investor-biased arbitration system and have fuelled the rise in investor-state disputes.[1]

Challenging the investment arbitration industry

February 2013
International Investment Regime and BITs:
During the CELAC-EU President Summit in Chile, some Latin American governments rejected the inclusion in the final declaration of the proposed EU wording in support of providing foreign investors legal certainty. To understand why, we need to look at the industry behind investment arbitration.  

Beginners Guide to Trade

February 2013
Alternative Investment Model: , EU Investment policy: , EU Trade Policy & FTA's: , Trade & Investment:
This beginners' guide provides a critical perspective on EU’s trade and investment policies and the business interests they serve. TNI worked on the guide with a Europe-wide network of trade activists, belonging to the Seattle to Brussels network.

Intra-EU Bilateral Investment Treaties

February 2013
EU Investment policy: , International Investment Regime and BITs: , Trade & Investment:
Corporations in Western Europe are suing Central and Eastern European countries at international arbitration tribunals through a vast web of intra-EU Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). Yet while the European Commission has questioned the validity of these BITs, Netherlands, Germany, and the UK, oppose their termination.

A Response To The Critics Of “Profiting From Injustice”

January 2013
EU Investment policy: , EU Trade Policy & FTA's: , International Investment Regime and BITs: , Trade & Investment:
Authors of TNI and Corporate European Observatory's Profiting from Injustice report answer the critiques  made by arbitrators and investment lawyers.

Putting a spotlight on the arbitration industry

November 2012
Architecture of TNC Impunity: , International Investment Regime and BITs:
Profiting from Injustice report reveals that the legal arbitration industry have strong vested interests in supporting an unjust international investment regime.

Profiting from injustice

November 2012
International Investment Regime and BITs:
A small club of international law firms, arbitrators and financial speculators are fuelling an investment arbitration boom that is costing taxpayers billions of dollars and preventing legislation in the public interest.