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South Africa

South Africa-Brazil FTAs will impact Namibian beef industry
28-May-2014
Free trade agreements won’t hold favourable implications for Namibia’s weaner industry and the opportune thing for local producers along with government, is to get together and have a round table discussion to come up with plans on how to convert potential challenges into opportunities.
Investor treaties in trouble
25-Mar-2014
Several countries are reviewing these agreements, prompted by the number of cases brought by foreign companies who claim that changes in government policies affect their future profits.
South Africa: FAQs on foreign direct investment featured
5-Mar-2014 TheTrade Beat
Foreign direct investment (FDI) has recently been a hot topic in South Africa, following the government’s unilateral cancellation of bilateral investment treaties with the European Union and the release of the draft Promotion and Protection of Investment Bill. But what is FDI, and why is it important?
Stir over end to trade deals fades
5-Feb-2014 Business Day
A stir greeted last year’s announcement by the South African government that it would not be renegotiating bilateral investment agreements with major trading partners such as the EU. However, it now seems as if a lot of dust has settled around the Promotion and Protection of Investment Bill, which is set to replace the agreements.
SACU: Dead man walking?
28-Jan-2014 Trade Beat
Late last year, the African cyberspace was buzzing with rumours that the region’s oldest trade agreement, the Southern African Customs Union or SACU was about to be finally killed off by South Africa. From Windhoek to Cape Town to Mbabane, trade policy wonks were debating what the most recent moves from Pretoria regarding SACU really meant.
Investment deal? Just watch it
2-Jan-2014 The Hindu Business Line
In the last couple of years, South Africa has become the unlikely champion of the anti-BIT movement.
Why South Africa has ripped up foreign investment deals
17-Dec-2013 The Conversation
As the nation looks to move on from the loss of Nelson Mandela, these moves to regain control over foreign investment will prove valuable.
EU angry as investment policy levels playing field
13-Nov-2013 Business Report
Is there something the EU trade guys know that they’re not telling the rest of us? Have they got wind of a dastardly ANC plan to expropriate all European-owned assets in South Africa?
South Africa draft PPIB (2013)
2-Nov-2013 tralac
Proposed legal framework to replace previous BITs
Swiss govt reacts to termination of investment treaty with SA
2-Nov-2013 Mail & Guardian
The Swiss government says it regrets South Africa’s decision to terminate the bilateral investment treaty between the two countries.
Why South Africa should send the Dutch government a letter in the next two weeks
31-Oct-2013
1st of November 2013 is an important date if one wants to get rid of this outdated treaty which poses growing risk to policy making in the public interest
SA annuls bilateral investment treaty with Germany
28-Oct-2013 BD
South Africa last week cancelled its bilateral investment treaty with Germany, one of its most important trading partners, amid protests by German businesses.
Move to ease German, EU doubts over investor risk in SA
30-Aug-2013 Business Day
SOUTH Africa is scrambling to convince Germany and its other European trade partners that its unilateral scrapping of bilateral investment treaties is not a risk to their investments in South Africa.
South Africa terminates its bilateral investment treaty with Spain
27-Aug-2013 Lexology
This is the second BIT terminated as part of South Africa’s planned review of its investment treaties
Namibia and the Economic Partnership Agreement
16-Aug-2013 Pambazuka
Namibia’s principled refusal to get bullied into an agreement against what it considered its own best interests has served as an example for other countries originally more willing to give in to the pressure exerted by EU
Termination of bilateral investment treaties won’t harm relations
19-Jul-2013 BD
"South Africa has confronted a dilemma in which it was no longer possible to renegotiate investment treaties with individual EU member states and if we did not move towards termination, the existing treaties would be automatically extended for another 10 years," writes Trade Minister Rob Davies.
Freeing trade between South Africa and Nigeria
4-Jul-2013 IPS
If a Free Trade Area were negotiated between Africa’s two largest economies, South Africa and Nigeria, it would have a powerful effect across the sub-continent. However, there are concerns that such an FTA would give one-sided benefits to the South Africans.
Treaty-based disputes between investors, states on the rise, says Unctad
7-May-2013
Dispute settlements between investors and states saw 62 new cases initiated last year, the highest number of known treaty-based disputes filed in a year, according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) in March.
Poulterers fear influx of chicken from EU
3-Apr-2013 Business Day
The South African Poultry Association, which has applied to the International Trade Administration Commission for a general tariff increase against chicken imports, also plans to seek protection against imports from the European Union.
Government moves to protect rooibos in EU — eight years on
27-Mar-2013 Business Day
A French company’s attempt to claim "rooibos" as its own intellectual property has galvanised the South African government into action to protect the term under its talks with Brussels over the EU-South Africa EPA.