The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is coming under fire from environmentalists after the London Guardian published information from apparently secret E.C. documents describing efforts to liberalize trade by privatizing state-run services in poor nations. The market for such services is estimated at more than $1 trillion per year. Under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, the E.U. is currently engaged in talks about the General Agreement on Trade in Services. Green groups say the E.U. is paving the way for exploitation of developing nations by huge multi-national corporations eager to control critical resources such as water, as well as services such as sewage. One such group, Friends of the Earth, said liberalization of public services would lead to lax environmental regulation.
