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On 27 February 2006, the United States and Colombia reached a Trade Promotion Agreement whose negative impacts were immediately subjected to severe criticism by civil society. The perks granted to the US by the new FTA, especially concerning agriculture and national treatment, rapidly became public knowledge.
One controversial provision concerned quotas on “special” agricultural products that are allowed to enter Colombia in limited quantities without tariffs from the very first year of the FTA; these quotas were increased at the signing of the agreement. Furthermore, the US insisted on Colombia’s acceptance of beef from cows over 30 months, a latent animal and human health risk due to the possible entry of “mad cow” infected animals. The agreement was approved by the Colombian Congress over the opposition of the Polo Democrático Alternativo and the Colombian Liberal Party. The U.S. Congress later emerged as its chief opponent, rejecting the treaty after the Democratic Party won majorities in both houses and adopted a more aggressive stance on Bush administration policies. The Democrats argued that the Uribe government had not done enough to curtail the paramilitaries’ crimes against humanity. Colombia, they said, should first put an end to violence against trade unionists and peasants, and indict politicians implicated in the “paragate” scandal (collusion with the paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces and with drug trafficking mafias). A vote on the deal was put off in April 2008 after President Bush sent the corresponding bill to Congress despite a recommendation against this move on the part of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi sought a change to the House rules to prevent the fast-track timetable from kicking in. In Colombia, opposition has remained firm in recent years, with various sectors mobilizing heavily to resist the FTA. The most recent large-scale mobilization was the “Minga,” in which indigenous people from all over the country traveled thousands of kilometers to Bogotá to reject the FTA, among other demands. Many other sectors of Colombian society signed on to the indigenous mobilization. last update: April 2009 Articles
Yesterday, California state legislators took action to block the trade agreement with Colombia by voting to approve Assembly Joint Resolution 27, which urges the US Congress to oppose the Colombia Free Trade agreement. 
From this recent history of Obama’s words and deeds with regards to “free trade” we should expect an offensive, similar in scope and scale to the US military escalation under way around the world, to obtain passage of the Colombia FTA, starting probably right after the November mid-term elections.
Third farm bill hearing focuses on trade policy
| 13-August-2010
The agriculture community heard directly from U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk recently on trade priorities that have stalled despite their importance to the industry’s market share around the world.
US Trade Delegation Makes SOS Trip to Columbia
| 11-August-2010
More than 100 industrialists from the US are touring Columbia to identify potential areas of trade, and maximize their business prospects under the new regime before it is too late as the new president of Columbia is equi-distant in ideology with all schools of thoughts in the Americas.
Congresistas de EEUU retoman solicitud de aprobación de TLC de Colombia
| 10-August-2010
Los representantes republicanos y demócratas sostuvieron que el acuerdo binacional podría ser aprobado antes que finalice el año.
¿Comemos arroz de Arkansas o de Colombia?
| 6-August-2010
Frente a la desventaja no debe extrañar a los Bogotanos ver a los agricultores de la comida en Colombia por las calles de la ciudad, el próximo 4 de agosto, reclamando del gobierno una política de defensa de la producción nacional. 
The Canadian parliament has ratified a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia that gives a major competitor an immediate price advantage in a market where US wheat exports had earned a dominant market share, says the US wheat industry
Santos y Mockus coinciden en que TLC entre Colombia y EE UU será ratificado
| 12-June-2010
Mockus se mostró convencido de que Estados Unidos renovará el TLC. Santos dijo que en el hipotético caso de que no sucediera, "entraría a ayudar a aquellos sectores en los que se justifique la ayuda". 
The International Trade Union Confederation has just announced its annual findings regarding global anti-union violence. Again, Colombia topped this list, accounting for nearly half of all the union killings in the world.
Congresistas demócratas advierten que este año no se aprobará el TLC
| 1-June-2010
Los senadores demócratas Christopher Dodd y Mark Warner, aseguraron que la ratificación del Tratado de Libre Comercio con los Estados Unidos no se dará en lo que resta de este 2010. |
Le stand de l’UE à la conférence sur le sida "saisi" par des militants défenseurs des génériques
| 21-July-2010
Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the U.S.- South Korea Trade Agreement
| 30-June-2010
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