bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

EU

FTA talks to top GCC-EU agenda
5-Apr-2005
Progress in the Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations will top the agenda of the annual GCC-EU foreign ministers meeting being held today in Bahrain, which currently chairs the GCC.
AGCC and EU to sign FTA soon
1-Apr-2005 Khaleej Times
The long-standing row over European duty on aluminium imports from the Gulf, a major irritant in EU-AGCC trade relations, is likely to be resolved this year with both sides gearing up for the final round of talks to seal a free trade agreement.
Losing out in Asia: The perils of principle
28-Mar-2005 Newsweek
Europe is on the high road to big business losses. As the US races to make trade deals with nations across the world, Europe has held back, on lofty principle. That, in any event, is the message European businesses in Singapore will deliver to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson when he arrives in the city-state in April.
Mercosur resumes EU talks; signs with India
22-Mar-2005 MercoPress
Mercosur and European Union negotiators resumed Monday in Brussels discussions with the purpose of reaching a much delayed free trade agreement between the two blocks. Meantime in New Delhi a framework trade understanding was signed with India.
Trade, development, cooperation - what future for Africa?
18-Mar-2005
Bi- and multilateral trade relations between external actors and individual African states or regional blocs are becoming ever more decisive. The trade policies of both the USA and the EU are anything but helpful.
Mexico, EU to deepen FTA in services, farm, investment
16-Mar-2005
Mexico and the European Commission are evaluating proposals to deepen their free trade agreement in the areas of services, investment, and agriculture.
All alone
5-Mar-2005 Cairo Magazine
The 14 February assassination of Al Hariri may strip away the last of Syria’s European patrons, leaving it at the mercy of Bush’s agenda in the region. There is talk that EU parliamentary approvals of Syria’s association agreement are now on hold.
COMESA demands changes to current intellectual property system
3-Mar-2005 Xinhua
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) said it wants changes to the current intellectual property right system to protect the interests of developing countries. It will accordingly conduct an audit and formulate a negotiating position for COMESA member countries in their negotiations with the European Union for the Economic Partnership Agreements due to start in December 2005.
Bahrain-Germany to sign BIT
3-Mar-2005 Gulf Daily news
An agreement on the protection and promotion of investments between Bahrain and Germany is due to be signed "very soon". Germany is also pushing for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union and the GCC.
An international political economy view of EU-GCC partnership
1-Mar-2005 UNED
After several years of being blocked, the signing of the EU-GCC FTA seems imminent. At the same time, the US is launching an ambitious proposal for a US-Middle East Free Trade Area in 2013, with Bahrain being the last country to adhere to a list that already includes Morocco and Jordan.
Israel, Romania to jointly export duty-free goods to EU
22-Feb-2005
Israel and Romania have signed an upgraded trade agreement, which will enable companies from both countries to jointly export goods to the EU, duty free.
Trade traps
19-Feb-2005
ActionAid’s new report on EPAs
Peter Mandelson speech on ’Strengthening the Lisbon Strategy’
16-Feb-2005 European Commission
"The hoped-for success of Doha should be complemented by bilateral or regional initiatives, such as Regional Trade Agreements with Mercosur and the Gulf Cooperation Council, which allow the pursuit of a wider agenda."
European Union censured over EPA negotiations
24-Jan-2005 The Standard
Trade agreements between the European Union and Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries could undermine the integration project in East Africa, a civil society lobby group has said.
Europe: support for change carries agendas
22-Jan-2005 Trinidad & Tobago Express
As 2005 proceeds, some Caribbean nations may find themselves faced with an unusually specific strategic choice: Europe may suggest the need to consider the relative weight they intend to give to the development of sectors such as tourism in preference to the role presently afforded to traditional agriculture.
Advised to choose either SADC or EA Customs Union
21-Jan-2005 IPP Media
The European Union has advised Tanzania to either retain membership in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and withdraw from the East African Customs Union (EACU), or vice versa.
Charities attack Mandelson’s trade plans
21-Jan-2005 The Guardian
Peter Mandelson outlined plans yesterday for new trade deals between Brussels and 77 of the world’s poorest countries but immediately ran into flak as development campaigners accused Europe’s trade commissioner of liberalisation "by the back door".
EU-ACP Partnership Agreement: Can The Gambia benefit?
7-Jan-2005 Daily Observer
Opening up The Gambia’s and ACP markets to the EU is likely to result in transfers of tariff revenues from ACP countries to the EU and this will worsens their terms of trade and result in a welfare loss.
GCC states ’in talks over FTAs’
25-Dec-2004
TALKS are pushing ahead for individual free trade agreements with the US for all the GCC states, it was declared yesterday.
Amid protests, Jordan and Israel sign key trade accord
24-Dec-2004 Khaleej Times
Israel and Jordan agreed yesterday to tear down many of their remaining trade barriers in a deal that paves the way for the Jewish state’s first free trade accord with an Arab state by the end of 2010.