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EU ’strongly committed’ to Mediterranean agriculture
8-Dec-2006 Food Navigator
The EU has sought to ease frustrations that agricultural trade within the Mediterranean region has not advanced as quickly as hoped.
EC to negotiate Association Agreements with Andean Community and Central America
8-Dec-2006 FreshPlaza
The EU Commission notified its intention to begin negotiations for Association Agreements in the first quarter of 2007, which would gradually become free trade agreements with the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) and Central American countries (Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala). However, this process could be broken because of the new demands on part of Ecuador before the WTO.
Mercosur/EU talks depend on the Doha Round
8-Dec-2006 MercoPress
As long as the Doha Round is pending, “significant advances” in negotiations with Mercosur for a free trade agreement will not be forthcoming anticipated on Friday the European Union External Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson.
EU tactics over African trade are ’bribery’, say aid groups
8-Dec-2006 Guardian
The European Union is insisting that some of Africa’s poorest countries accept liberalisation of services, investment and competition policy as the price of better access to the world’s richest market, it emerged last night.
Central America & Andean Community: Commission proposes negotiating directives for Association Agreements
7-Dec-2006 DG Trade
The Agreements will set out the conditions for the gradual establishment of Free Trade Area between the EU and the two regions, and develop both intra- and bi-regional trade exchanges.
S. Korean prime minister says FTA with EU is mandatory, not optional
7-Dec-2006 Yonhap
A free trade agreement betwen South Korea and the European Union (EU) is mandatory, not optional, South Korean Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook said Wednesday.
Old trade beefs to resurface at ACP meet
6-Dec-2006 IPS
Not many Caribbean leaders are expected to attend the two-day summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group starting in Sudan Thursday, but the region will follow its agenda quite keenly, including a proposed Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union and a new threat to its ailing banana industry.
Leaked letter from the EC’s Falkenberg and Manservisi to Tavola on Pacific EPA
5-Dec-2006 Article in the Financial Times
Letter leaked to the Financial Times outlining the European Commission’s response to the Pacific’s proposals on their EPA, rejecting most of them.
The new ’Global Europe’ strategy of the EU: Serving corporations worldwide and at home
3-Dec-2006
Alert to European civil society groups, trade unions and social movements from the Seattle to Brussels Network
ECOWAS seeks extension of agreement with EU
3-Dec-2006 This Day
The regional ministerial committee monitoring the negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between West Africa and the European Union has requested a three year extension of the 2007 deadline for the conclusion of the negotiations for a free trade area of the two economic blocs.
EU seeks to complete trade deals in two years
1-Dec-2006 European Voice
The European Commission hopes to complete bilateral trade agreements with South Korea, India and ten south-east Asian countries within two years at the latest, according to negotiating mandates for trade agreements which it is expected to adopt on 6 December.
Pakistan wants to initiate talks on FTA with EU: Shaukat Aziz
29-Nov-2006 Daily Times
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said this week that Pakistan desires to initiate talks on Free Trade Agreement ( FTA) with the European Union.
Members of European Parliament challenge EU-Israel relationship
29-Nov-2006 Al Jazeerah
MEPs will call on Ministers to examine whether Israel’s actions have breached the human rights requirements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
A critique of the EU-Latin America Business Summit in Vienna
28-Nov-2006 Corporate Europe Observatory
Parallel to the 4th EU-Latin America/Caribbean Summit in Vienna this week, large corporations from both regions will gather at a Business Summit. Apart from discussing business opportunities in different sectors, the 300 business representatives attending the event are expected to demand that governments speed up a whole range of free trade talks between the two regions.
Brussels rejects moves to link trade with aid
28-Nov-2006 FT
Despite public rhetoric that new trade agreements with some of the world’s poorest countries are a development tool, in private the European Union is insisting on excluding aid from the negotiations.
Egypt will be ready for free trade with Europe in three years
23-Nov-2006 ANBA
Egypt will be ready to create free trade area with Europe in three years, announced prime minister Ahmed Nazif. The Arab country already has a tariff preference agreement with the EU, but it does not include all products traded.
Reject the Economic Partnership Agreement EU-ACP!
22-Nov-2006 Via Campesina
The member organizations of Via Campesina in Africa, in Europe and in the Caribbean consider that the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) are a new threat for the peasants and small farmers in the four regions. We ask a definitive stop in the negotiations and the opening of a period of debate and analyses on the impacts of free-trade on our national agricultures. Alternatives based on the right to food sovereignty exist.
Sacu-US to pursue scaled-back trade talks after FTA process ceases
22-Nov-2006 Mining Weekly
The South African Customs Unions (Sacu) has formally accepted an offer made by the US government to progress a so-called trade and investment cooperation agreement (Tica), following the breakdown of the more ambitious free-trade agreement (FTA) talks earlier in the year.
Unequal partners
21-Nov-2006 Oxfam New Zealand
This paper by Claire Godfrey provides a wide-ranging look at the many problems with the EPAs, and investigates how these could impact on the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries’ future development.
Key issues in Pacific trade negotiations with the EU
21-Nov-2006 Oxfam New Zealand
This short summary of issues by Barry Coates of Oaxfam New Zealand focuses on the most recent negotiating documents, particularly the draft “legal text” that was prepared by Pacific negotiators after their meeting in June 2006. It aims to provide a “non-technical” overview to inform civil society of progress in negotiations.