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Farmers and civil society groups march against EPAs
30-Sep-2008 Ghana Web
Hundreds of Ghanaian farmers and civil society groups took to the street on Monday calling on the leadership of the Africa Caribbean and Pacific countries to reject outright the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union.
Don’t use trade for resolving non-trade issues: Kamal Nath
29-Sep-2008 Economic Times
"Increasingly we hear about proposals in the EU for levy of carbon tax on imports into EU, ban on imports on allegations of labour law violations and use of child labour etc. Any effort to combine trade with other social issues would prove to be disastrous for bilateral trade" says India’s commerce minister about the EU-India FTA.
Economic pact not good for us - farmers tell ACP delegates
29-Sep-2008 Graphic Ghana
Peasant farmers and some civil society groups in Ghana have called on African Ministers and negotiators to reject the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union.
India trade unions, people’s movement and civil society groups call for immediate halt to EU-India FTA negotiations
29-Sep-2008 CEC
As the two day (29-30 September, 2008) EU-India summit begins at Marseilles in France, civil society groups from across India demand a complete halt of the ongoing EU-India FTA negotiations.
Trade deal poses grave risks for India’s workers and poor
29-Sep-2008 Traidcraft
A proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the EU poses a real threat to millions of small businesses, workers and farmers, according to a report published today by Traidcraft.
Come to Parliament before clinching India-EU FTA: CPI(M)
27-Sep-2008
The CPI(M) today asked the government not to make any commitment on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) at the Monday’s India-European Union Summit in Marseille before discussing the issue in Parliament.
Jagdeo makes direct EPA appeal at UN
27-Sep-2008 Caribbean 360
Refusing to give up on convincing the European Union to take another look at its Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the Caribbean, Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo has taken his case to the United Nations.
FICCI: FTA with EU must cover 95% goods for real benefit to India
27-Sep-2008 Hindu Business Line
Expressing concern that all items of export interest to India, like leather, textiles and garments, may not get covered in the FTA being negotiated with the European Union, the FICCI, India’s corporate lobby group, has suggested expansion of scope of the pact to cover 95% of merchandise goods instead of 90%.
EU MPs back trade deal with India, voice religion concerns
25-Sep-2008 AFP
The European parliament on Wednesday called for the EU negotiate a free trade deal with India by the end of the year, though several voiced concerns over human rights abuses, in particular against Christians.
Peru, Colombia push for bilateral trade deals with EU
24-Sep-2008 ICTSD
Both Peru and Colombia want to work quickly to conclude bilateral trade deals with the EU, as negotiations toward a regional-level pact have largely stalled.
Taiwan wants FTA with EU
24-Sep-2008 China Post
Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Yiin Chii-ming, said yesterday that Taiwan wants an FTA with the EU.
Selassie’s warning about Europe prophetic
22-Sep-2008 The Nation
The heated debates in the Caribbean surrounding this region’s involvement in an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe and the upcoming sixth summit of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in Ghana where similar issues will be debated, brings to memory the words of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie who saw a long time ago the danger the European union — then the European Common Market — would pose for Africa.
Economic partnership talks: Pacific tells Europeans to focus on what we can do
22-Sep-2008 Solomon Star
Pacific Island countries, including Solomon Islands, have told the European Union they remain committed to concluding a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by year’s end. And because not all of them will sign up to the ‘trade in goods’ part, they want to focus on issues where agreement can be easiest reached.
EU-Canada free trade could change US-Canada relations
21-Sep-2008 Epoch Times
Canada is moving toward a far-reaching free trade agreement with the European Union that advocates say will end a long-standing dependency on the US market.
Trade Unions told to recommit themselves to protecting poor and underprivileged in society
20-Sep-2008 CBC
The President of the National Union of Public Workers says the Barbados trade union movement missed a golden opportunity to make its views known on the proposed economic partnership agreement between Caricom and the European Union.
Canada-EU trade proposal rivals scope of NAFTA
20-Sep-2008
Canadian and European officials say they plan to begin negotiating a massive agreement to integrate Canada’s economy with the 27 nations of the European Union, with preliminary talks to be launched at an Oct. 17 summit in Montreal three days after the federal election.
David and Goliath battle
17-Sep-2008 Fiji Times
This article explores the current crisis in the EU’s negotiations for new Economic Partnership Agreements with 76 ACP countries. In particular, this article highlights the rejection of most components of an EPA by Pacific nations — who are demanding a reduced ’comprehensive EPA’. This has implications for Africa and the Caribbean, where governments are trying to back away from a full EPA with the EU — to pursue only what might be required for WTO-compatibility.
Uribe and Garcia break negotiations between the EU and the CAN
16-Sep-2008 RECALCA (Spanish original)
In perfect coordination, worthy of the political affinity between Alvaro Uribe and Alan García, the two presidents sent identical letters on 9 September 2008 to the President of the European Commission, in which, unilaterally and without consulting their partners in the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), they terminated the Association Agreement negotiations between the CAN and the EU. What they seek is quite serious: to force bilateral negotiations with the European Union, excluding both Bolivia and Ecuador.
García reiterates Peruvian interest to sign trade agreement with EU
16-Sep-2008 ANDINA
Peru’s president, Alan García, confirmed today Peruvian interest to sign trade agreement with the European Union (EU); however, he recognized the initial obstacles for consensus in the Andean Community of Nations (CAN).
CARIFORUM agrees to sign EPA
16-Sep-2008 Barnacle Grenada
Thirteen of the 15 Member States indicated their readiness to sign the Agreement at the Third Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of CARIFORUM held at the Sherbourne Centre, Barbados on Wednesday. Haiti indicated that there were reservations which had to be cleared at the Presidential level before signature of the document, while Guyana stated that it was not in a position to sign the EPA.