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Colombian farmers question FTA with US
Rafael Mejia, president of the Colombian Association of Farmers (SAC), asserted his entity would not support a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US if farmers do not benefit from it.
Few trade gains from ’early harvest’: Sino-Thai pact misunderstood
Tariff reductions on fruit and vegetables agreed on two years ago between Thailand and China have provided little benefit to the Thai economy.
Pacific countries confident of making deadline for EU trade agreement
Leaders of Pacific island countries said they were confident of meeting the end-of-2007 deadline for reaching agreement with the European Union on a preferential trade deal despite slow progress in negotiations.
Colombian Attorney red flags FTA
Attorney General Edgardo Maya admonished the government Tuesday that an ill-fated signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US would result in negative effects for Colombia.
Ecuador hesitant over FTA with US
Chief Ecuadorian negotiator for the Free Trade Treaty with the US, Manuel Chiriboga, affirmed in a press conference Monday that the next negotiation round will determine whether or not it goes into effect in November.
As the TNCs catch you: An analysis of the liberalization of biotechnological products in the Thai-US FTA
One of the books the Thai Prime Minister suggested his cabinet members read was “As the Future Catches You” by Juan Enriquez, a Mexican writer. The book’s contents relate to the fact that countries need to catch up with the development of biotechnology. Otherwise they will be alienated and left behind.
Filipino solons to probe 35 unratified bilateral agreements
Philippine House Committees on globalization and trade will study 35 bilateral agreements the Philippines forged over the past decades with some countries.
Dangerous liaison
Under the guise of freeing trade, bilateral trade agreements (BTAs) are being used as a tool to further an absolute top-down Northern agenda, at the victimization of the poor and marginalized groups and communities of the South.
Developed world undermining WTO spirit through FTAs
FTAs are being designed by the developed countries to get more than what the WTO and TRIPS could give at this stage.
End of monopoly in food sector will benefit customers
The UAE’s decision to eliminate the monopoly in the foodstuffs sector will have a profound impact on the economy, according to analysts and businessmen.
Protests in St Lucia against EU negotiators
Farmers from across the Caribbean took to the streets of the St Lucian capital, Castries on Friday to picket top European Union negotiators, who were meeting on the island.
Veggie industry faces bleak future
The Fair Trade Alliance blames the Philippine government’s trade commitments to the General Agreement on Tariffs Trade, the World Trade Organization and bilateral trade pacts for the problems facing the domestic vegetable industry.
Saudi Arabia accession to WTO (2005)
Information sheets from USTR
Thailand’s bilateral trade pacts face mixed reception
Thailand has been aggressively negotiating bilateral and regional trade agreements in the face of the uncertainty over whether the WTO will reach a deal on liberalizing global trade. But the agreements fail to live up to expectations of increased trade and investment.
The importance of the FTA to Thailand
Ambassador Nitya Pibulsonggram, the chief negotiator for the Thailand-US Free Trade Agreement, spoke to AMCHAM members on May 25, 2005 about the importance of the FTA to Thailand.
The price of going to market
Last year was the tenth anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and nearly all evaluations of the agreement conceded that the period showed negligible or negative results for Mexico. As the developing country partner of the agreement, Mexico’s experience under NAFTA has major implications for other developing nations negotiating FTA’s, particularly with the United States.
Planned protest in St Lucia against EU negotiators
A mass demonstration — “Operation Get Up, Stand Up”, in support of the region’s vital banana industry — has been planned for St Lucia to coincide with an important meeting of top European Union negotiators.
Colombian unions worried about free trade with the US
Colombia and Peru say 85 percent of the FTA is already negotiated, but representatives from Andean agricultural unions say the other 15 percent is more important. The US ultimatum states the FTA should be signed at the latest on November 20.
Peruvian farmers say the government allows dishonest FTA
Peruvian National Farming Convention (COVENAGRO) chair Luis Zuñiga asserted that his government does not provide protection alternatives to the sector’s workers, faced with an eventual Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
Andean FTA opposed by sugar interests
Speculation is that negotiations for a US-Andean FTA are nearing completion. House Ag Committee ranking member Collin Peterson of Minnesota says Administration officials may be making similar mistakes to those made in CAFTA.