Panama
The EU approved last week a change in the mandate for its negotiators in order to include Panama in the discussions, following a formal request from that country, as well as an assent by Panama to accept all of the points already agreed upon in the negotiations by its Central American partners Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Panama and Colombia will officially begin negotiations Monday over the terms of a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) planned for later this year.
Colombia concluded negotiations on Monday for a free trade agreement with the European Union, after nine rounds of talks.
The talks come as Colombia faces a plunge in exports to neighboring Venezuela after President Hugo Chavez pledged last year to end imports from the Andean country in response to a deal that allows U.S. armed forces greater access to Colombian military bases.
President Barack Obama’s plan to double US exports over five years includes passing free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea that have been delayed for years, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.
Visiting Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said Friday that his government is working on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Panama, which could be reached "in a few weeks."
Panama will negotiate a free trade agreement with members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Panaman’s Ministry of Commerce and Industries said on Sunday.
South Korean, Colombian and Panamanian officials said on Wednesday they hoped for U.S congressional approval of pending free trade agreements by the middle of 2010.
Panama has lifted its six-year-old BSE-related ban on Canadian beef as it concludes talks on a new free trade agreement with Canada that will improve access for other ag commodities.
The free trade agreement between Canada and Panama signed Aug. 11 may be stalled or even defeated in Canada’s Parliament unless Prime Minister Stephen Harper can convince at least one opposition party to overcome concerns about Panama’s tax policies.
Panama and Canada on Tuesday signed a free trade agreement (FTA) after the conclusion of bilateral trade talks.
Political pressure grew on President Barack Obama to reconsider pending trade deals with Panama, Colombia and South Korea as over 100 lawmakers called on Wednesday for a massive revamp of US trade policy.
US congressmen are pressuring Panama to reduce the number of people who can form a union from 40 to 20 and to give foreigners the right to head union organizations in Panama.
This trade deal — largely based on the North American Free Trade Agreement model — was written by and for multinational companies. It enables companies to increase their profits while skipping town on taxes.
The National Pork Producers Council is pushing for passage of the Panama Free Trade Agreement, saying it will level the playing field for U.S. pork producers.
Pop quiz: who said that? Was it a Panamanian worker with nothing to lose? Nope. It was the chair of one of the most powerful committees in the US Congress.
The Obama administration wants to explore new trade vistas in the Asia-Pacific region once it has dealt with challenges it inherited, including a deal with Panama and a global trade pact, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said on Monday.
As the global economic crisis deepens and more people lose their jobs, the Obama administration may soon push for ratification of the Bush-era US-Panama Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Finalizing a free-trade deal with the United States is a major goal for Panamanian President-elect Ricardo Martinelli, but the supermarket tycoon rejects US accusations that the country is a tax haven.
