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bilateralism & multilateralism


The new gold standard? Empirically situating the TPP in the investment treaty universe
The TPP investment chapter offers few truly novel features and is instead heavily influenced by prior American treaty practice.
‘FTAs weaken multilateral systems’
Bilateral agreements were weakening the multilateral arrangements that looked after the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
TPP: the path to global fragmentation
The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is another nail in the coffin of a multilateral global trade system that brought the world together in the past six decades
Regional free trade deals may create ’legal mess’ within WTO framework
New regional mega-agreements on free trade between the United States, Europe, Pacific Rim nations and some World Trade Organization (WTO) members will create numerous legal problems within the WTO framework.
Trade agreements: EU grows bilateral and regional FTAs
Free trade agreements (FTAs) between the European Union (EU) and its trading partners worldwide have mushroomed in recent years and more are in the pipeline.
How regional trade agreements can spark a fight over Feta cheese
While the European Union and Canada agree that Feta cheese must come from Greece, the deal underscores the problems with regional trade deals not giving other countries a say.
Q&A: How Southeast Asian economic zone could change region
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations aims to establish an economic community known as the AEC whose ultimate goal is said to allow free trade, investment and movement of workers between the 10 nations that make up the grouping
Renzi hopes to push through EU-Japan trade deal this year
The Italian prime minister believes the EU and Japan could finalise a free trade deal by the end of the year
The Customs Bill: an unacceptable barrier to climate action
A proposed amendment to the Trade Priorities and Accountability Act (TPA) incorporated into the House version of the US Customs Bill poses significant risks to future progress on climate mitigation if accepted.
How the US is using a secret agreement on services to wriggle out of its WTO obligations
It is increasingly evident that the TiSA negotiations are an attempt to pressure developing countries to grant greater liberalisation in sectors of interest to the US and other industrialised countries, without the latter having to pay any price for it, writes Chakravarthi Raghavan
Effects of the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement
Advantages and disadvantages of free trade between USA and Peru.
Renegotiating the bite of our BITs
Apart from its network of BITs, Indonesia is also a party to a number of multilateral and regional investment agreements such as the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement which also contain an ISDS clause, including recourse to ICSID arbitration.
The embattled future of global trade policy
Should proposed US plurilateral trade agreements be welcomed? This is a big question, not least for those who consider the liberalisation of world trade to be a signal achievement. It is also highly controversial.
UN calls for suspension of TTIP talks over fears of human rights abuses
Alfred de Zayas said the UN will publish a report in August to illustrate the flaws in current plans for the TTIP.
High time for a global investment agreement
In terms of international transactions, FDI is more important than trade but it is subject to global policy disarray.
European trade policy at an impasse
With all eyes on TTIP, we are losing sight of the real challenges for Europe emerging in the Asia-Pacific economic region, argues Axel Berger
Thailand must stand firm in trade deal talks
The investment chapter under the proposed TPP and the Thailand-EU FTA, if adopted, might place Thailand’s substantive ability to protect public interests at risk, warns Jakkrit Kuanpoth.
India to seek US support to protect herbal knowledge
India will seek the United States’ support for an international treaty to protect its traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and herbs from being patented by other nations at a bilateral trade meeting this week.
US-India food deal and the WTO
India and the US have reached a bilateral deal to resolve their differences over food stock holdings at the World Trade Organization. Analysis from Kavaljit Singh.
EU to exempt JR companies from world trade rules
The European Union has agreed to omit three of Japan’s biggest rail companies from a trade agreement at the WTO in the hope that it will open up the Japanese market to European suppliers under a possible bilateral FTA.