bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

Obama’s agenda for change and the 2009 Summit of the Americas
9-Dec-2008 ALAI Net
Barack Obama’s electoral victory represents hope for change in the US relations with Latin America, but he will have to work against time to showcase the new policy direction at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, to be held in Trinidad and Tobago in April next year, write Rick Arnold and Manuel Pérez-Rocha.
Panama, Canada begin second round of FTA talks
9-Dec-2008 People’s Daily
Panama and Canada on Monday began a second round of talks in their effort to reach a free trade agreement (FTA).
CSME on slow march
30-Nov-2008
There are growing concerns, regionwide, that the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) project may be in serious danger of not being realised as planned for 2015. It is currently on a slow march.
Mood Shift Against Free Trade Puts Republicans on Defensive
31-Oct-2008
The U.S. has led the way in efforts to lower barriers to global trade since World War II, despite opposition from unions and voters hurt by foreign competition. This election could put trade-liberalization on ice for a while.
Costa Rica and Panama ratify free trade agreement
28-Oct-2008
Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly ratified in second and final debate a free trade agreement with Panama that will open up the commercial channels between the neighboring nations.
Uribe agrees to talks with indigenous protesters
24-Oct-2008 IPS
"The police did fire" on indigenous protesters, said Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who yielded to pressure to meet next Sunday with the leaders of a two-week-long demonstration by native groups.
Mercosur proposes agreement with Egypt
24-Oct-2008 iStockAnalyst
Last week, the Mercosur submitted a free trade agreement negotiation proposal to the Egyptian government. The draft document, containing the broad lines for a treaty, was handed over by a delegation from the South American bloc to Cairo
“Historic” Dominican-EU trade deal to be signed today
16-Oct-2008
The Dominican Government is scheduled formally sign an economic association agreement with the European Union today, making the country Latin America’s leader, after Chile, with the most Free Trade deals, now with 48 nations.
The Southern Bank: the result of the struggle of movements
4-Sep-2008 Choike
The Southern Bank is not just a bank, not even a further development bank. It is the expression of the struggle against a model that takes out resources from the poorest nations. If this bank no longer manages to represent such expression and becomes more of the same, the movement will have a new institution to resist.
The story of IIRSA
4-Sep-2008
Colourful booklet for popular outreach on the struggle of Latin American people versus mega infrastructure projects and trade negotiations with the European Union.
Bolivia: Two years of ’post-neoliberal’ Indigenous nationalism — a balance sheet
1-Sep-2008 Bolivia Rising
The right laments the "isolation" of the Bolivian economy from the global currents of trade because it has put three crosses against the free trade agreement with the United States and there isn’t the will to take part in an agreement with the European Union, the "biggest markets on the planet".
Latin America’s free trade agreements with the European Union - An agenda for domination
21-Aug-2008 GRAIN
The EU is currently negotiating FTAs with Central America, the Andean Community of Nations and Mercosur. Its objective is to use these agreements to complete the privatisation process, to remove restrictions on European property and activity in the region, to acquire full access to natural resources and to obtain guarantees that European companies will be able to operate with clear advantages over national companies. Moreover, all these concessions granted to European companies are to be protected from any political changes that the peoples of the region might want to undertake in the future.
Truck drivers strike at Panama/Costa Rica border
14-Jul-2008 Inside Costa Rica
The first major disruption of the nine-month-old Costa Rican-Panamanian free trade agreement came on July 6, when approximately 200 truck drivers from Panama, Costa Rica, and other Central American countries paralyzed cargo crossing from Paso Canoas, Panama to Cerro Punta, Costa Rica.
What good is Caricom? Regional unity losing steam
4-Jul-2008
The question must now be asked, just how effective is Caricom, and does it serve any useful purpose? This has proven to be a watershed year for the regional body coming less than two years after the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), prevailing rampant food price, high energy cost and uncontrollable crime, all afflicting the region. Has Caricom address these issues effectively?
Mexico seeks combined FTA with Central American countries
28-Jun-2008 Xinhua
Mexico has begun negotiations with several Central American countries to merge its three individual Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with them into a single one
FTAA vs ALBA - Choosing trade routes
21-Jun-2008 Newsday
Even as the FTAA cools on the back-burner and Venezuela President Hugo Chavez pitches ALBA as a viable trade alternative, there are concerns that ALBA may not suit Trinidad and Tobago’s palette.
Bolivian president urges Peruvian counterpart to respect Andean Community rules
4-Jun-2008 Xinhua
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Tuesday urged his Peruvian counterpart Alan Garcia to respect the pledges made under the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) before signing any unilateral free trade agreements
Statement: UNASUR must be used to strengthen the integration of South America
31-May-2008 HSA
Social organisations and popular movements of South America demand a genuine role in the decisions made regarding how UNASUR is designed and rolled out.
Bush pushes Congress for trade deal
24-May-2008
A concrete mixer. Crates of cauliflower. A Harley-Davidson. Chunks of cheese. President Bush used a White House lawn stacked with props yesterday to press Congress to approve free-trade pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.
Anti-FTA meeting set to end in Cuba
11-Apr-2008 Press TV
The seventh Hemispheric Meeting on the Struggle against Free Trade Agreements and for People Integration is set to conclude in Cuba.