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ECOWAS Ministers endorse controversial EPA deal
11-Oct-2006 The Statesman
The Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the Economic Partnership Agreement, between West Africa and the European Community, have recommended to the sub-regional body to speed up the controversial partnership deal with the European Union.
EU asks C. America to select single negotiator for trade talks
10-Oct-2006 People’s Daily
EU foreign relations director-general Eneko Landaburu on Monday urged Central American nations to choose a single negotiator for talks on an association agreement between the two trade blocs.
Mandelson plans bilateral trade deals despite WTO setback
10-Oct-2006 The Guardian
The European Union will use bilateral trade deals to "road test" measures deemed too sensitive to be included in the stalled global WTO liberalisation negotiations, Peter Mandelson said last night.
Sceptics fear political ties that bind free trade
10-Oct-2006 Financial Express
Perhaps the best explanation of why bilateral trade agreements are so popular comes from Pascal Lamy, who was the predecessor to Peter Mandelson as Europe’s trade commissioner. Mr Lamy, now director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is fond of saying: "Politicians tell you that when they sign a bilateral agreement with a pal, they get on TV. When they are the 149th minister around the table at the WTO, they don’t get on TV."
Bilateral agreements in EU trade policy
10-Oct-2006 DG Trade
Speech by Peter Mandelson at the London School of Economics on 9 October 2006
Malaysia, EU agree to launch talks for broad cooperation pact
9-Oct-2006
Malaysia and the European Union agreed Monday to launch negotiations for a broad cooperation pact that could lead to an eventual free trade agreement, a top EU official said.
Services at forefront as India, EU plan Ceca
7-Oct-2006
National treatment, mutual recognition of professional qualification and competition policy would initially be in focus, as India and Europe are set to commence talks for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (Ceca), government sources told FE.
New strategy puts EU trade policy at service of European competitiveness and economic reform
4-Oct-2006
The European Commission has today adopted a new strategy to integrate trade policy into the European Union’s competitiveness and economic reform agenda. The policy review (Global Europe: competing in the world) sets out a strategy for opening new markets abroad for EU companies to trade and ensuring that European companies are able to compete fairly in those markets.
EU’s Mandelson opposes Merkel’s plan for transatlantic free trade zone
4-Oct-2006
European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson voiced his opposition to plans by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to create a transatlantic free trade zone, reported the Handelsblatt.
Mandelson announces EU bilateral trade drive
4-Oct-2006
Often caught between the whims of protectionist and liberal member states, the European Commission on Wednesday firmly tied its colours to a liberal mast proposing a trade policy revamp focused on new markets and stamping out protectionism.
EU to seek bilateral trade deals in Asia as part of policy revamp
4-Oct-2006
The European Commission said it will seek bilateral trade deals, particularly with Asian partners, as part of a policy revamp.
EPAs negotiations: Civil society calls for caution
3-Oct-2006
Civil society organisations have called for caution as Nigeria, the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) and other African, Caribbean and Pacific(ACP) countries begin the second phase of negotiations with the European Union on the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement(EPAs).
Draft EU-Pacific EPA (Jun 2006)
2-Oct-2006
Merkel for EU Agreement with US
2-Oct-2006
With the Doha Round of trade talks threatening to come to naught, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come up with a plan B: a free-trade zone with the US. Such a zone would encompass 60 percent of the global economy.
US Senator Baucus proposes US-EU-Japan services FTA
29-Sep-2006
US Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) on Thursday proposed that the United States, the European Union and Japan conclude a services free trade agreement.
’EU, India to seek free trade pact’
28-Sep-2006
The European Union and India, one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, will signal next month their intention to negotiate a free trade agreement, the EU’s Executive Commission said on Wednesday.
Mauritian MLAs asked to stop the process of EPA
28-Sep-2006
A Mauritian political party called Rezistans ek Alternativ (RA) has asked local MLAs to help in stopping the process of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) which, according to its members, Mauritius and fourteen other African countries have agreed to negotiate with the European Union, without realising the implication of such an agreement.
10 reasons to challenge the Pacific EPA
28-Sep-2006
Do the Pacific Islands’ negotiators genuinely hope they can negotiate a beneficial Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union or are they simply going through the motions and doing what is required of them under the Cotonou Agreement 2000? In the secretive chess game of trade negotiations it is impossible to know.
ACP-EU relations: The development challenge of EPAs
27-Sep-2006 South Centre
The South Centre, in partnership with a consortium of ACP and European NGOs, is organizing a high-level conference on negotiations related to Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) in Brussels on 12 October 2006.
Development compatibility of EPAS - A critical civil society review of the EU-ACP negotiations on Regional Free Trade Agreements
27-Sep-2006 WEED
The conference focuses on three particular problem areas of EPAs. Are EPAs endangering food sovereignty and rural development of mostly agrarian oriented ACP states? Are EPAs in their current form undermining autonomous initiatives of regional integration? What effects are to be expected from a broad liberalisation agenda including the so called "new issues” of investments, competition and public procurement?