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human rights

EU lawmakers urge probe of Colombian intelligence operations
20-Jul-2010 Deutsche Welle
EU parliamentarians have called on the Commission to look into Colombian intelligence operations in Europe designed to ‘neutralize the influence’ of critics of the Colombian government in parliament, the UNHCR and NGOs. EU officials fear that an investigation could torpedo ratification of the free-trade agreement, which they see as crucial support of Colombia.
Sri Lanka rejects EU’s rights conditions for trade benefits, saying they violate sovereignty
26-Jun-2010 Canadian Press
Sri Lanka’s trade benefits with the world’s biggest consumer market are due to expire Aug. 15. The EU had asked Sri Lanka to give a written commitment by July 1 pledging to improve human rights before it would consider renewing them.
’India and the EU are both committed to universal values’
25-Jun-2010
The European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, is currently visiting India to enhance Indo-EU ties. Ashish Ray asked her a few questions:
MPs divided on Canada-Colombia trade agreement
10-May-2010
Increasing trade between Canada and Colombia would help fight drug traffickers and improve human rights in the South American country, says Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost. But critics say the country’s poor human-rights record should put any free-trade plans on hold.
FTA with EU stuck on non-trade barriers
27-Apr-2010
Apart from trade issues, the free-trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and the European Union (EU) continue to be stuck over non-trade issues like human rights, child labour and environment.
’A simple protest can lead to death’: Canada’s auto union on Colombia FTA
8-Apr-2010 Colombia Reports
Canadian Auto Workers, the country’s largest union, last week issued a press release calling on the government to halt trade negotiations with Colombia, calling the deal "a shocking betrayal of Canadians’ expectation that we don’t negotiate with human rights abusers."
Proposed Colombia trade pact amended
25-Mar-2010 CBC
The federal government has agreed to add a new element to Canada’s proposed free-trade agreement with Colombia. "It will be the first FTA in the world to require an annual human-rights assessment to be tabled in both countries’ parliaments," the amendment’s author says.
NGOs call for human rights protection in Colombia-EU FTA
16-Mar-2010 Colombia Reports
Several South American non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called on the European Union to put better human rights provisions into its free trade agreement with Colombia
Rights groups slam EU free trade deal with Colombia
12-Mar-2010 Deutsche Welle
The European Union is close to reaching a free trade deal with Colombia. But human rights watchdogs, trade union organizations and some politicians believe the agreement would send all the wrong signals to Bogota.
EU concludes FTA talks with Colombia, Peru
3-Mar-2010 ICTSD
The text of the agreement, which has not yet been publicly released, also includes a clause, useable by any party, that provides for the possibility of taking action if there is a repeated violation of human rights or a sudden interruption of democracy for any party.
Colombia’s human rights violations could stop FTA: HRW
4-Feb-2010 Colombia Reports
Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Wednesday that Colombia’s human rights record could prevent the passage of the long-awaited U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement.
Human rights and the ASEAN-China FTA
12-Jan-2010 Jakarta Post
Entering year 2010 is marked by the entry into a free trade area agreement between ASEAN and China, also known as the ASEAN-China FTA. Little attention was given to the possible impact of this FTA agreement to fulfill human rights in Indonesia.
EU urged to suspend trade talks with Colombia
10-Dec-2009 EU Politics News
Senior British MEP Richard Howitt has urged the EU to suspend free trade agreement talks with Colombia because of the country´s "profound" human rights "crisis."
Vietnam - No human rights issues in trade acts
7-Dec-2009 VNA
A leading Vietnamese Government official has asked that the US leave democratic and human rights issues out of its trade acts
The ill-advised US certification of Colombia on human rights
4-Dec-2009 COHA
Is certification a signal that Colombia will obtain FTA approval?
Human rights issues could thwart Colombia-EU FTA: France
9-Nov-2009
Human rights issues could thwart commercial agreements between Colombia and the EU, said the deputy leader of the French National Assembly on Monday.
Sri Lanka: Gov’t, EU in back-channel talks over fate of trade pact
8-Nov-2009 IPS
Sri Lanka has reacted strongly to a European Commission (EC) probe on its human rights record, saying it is politically motivated.
Sri Lanka may lose clothes trade benefits for alleged human rights abuses
19-Oct-2009 ANI
The European Commission is all set to recommend withdrawal of trade benefits from Sri Lanka after allegations of large scale violation of human rights surfaced during the last stages of the civil war against the LTTE.
Steelworkers call on Liberals to refuse support for Harper’s Colombia trade deal
14-Sep-2009
As Parliament resumes, Ken Neumann, National Director of the United Steelworkers (USW) today called on Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal caucus to refuse to support the Harper government’s free trade agreement with Colombia when the bill is voted in Parliament next week.
Brazilian Parliament recommends freezing out Israelis from third largest export market
12-Sep-2009
“This decision is an enormous blow for Israel’s economy and foreign relations”, says Jamal Juma’ of the Stop the Wall Campaign. The Brazilian Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Relations and National Defense has recommended that the parliament should not ratify the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Mercosur and the State of Israel until “Israel accepts the creation of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders”.