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  1. Negotiations

:: Across the board ::

This section contains news and analysis of sweeping developments that affect the overall push and pull towards FTAs and bilateral investment treaties. This means major trends relating to bilateralism, often with global consequences, and other cross-cutting issues. New developments arising from US politics, the WTO or South-South alliance-building, for instance, are often reported here as they tend to have systemic impacts.

last update: May 2012

Democrats oppose Obama’s demand for fast-tracking Pacific trade deal
21-Jan-2015 The Guardian
Congressional Democrats are set to demonstrate their “lack of support” for the fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) the morning after Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
US: Members of Congress demand to see secret trade deals
14-Jan-2015 GMO Inside
US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and others, are demanding that trade representatives turn over a full text of the TPP trade agreement.
Regional agreements gaining steam
8-Jan-2015 Korea Herald
While bilateral free trade agreements, as a means to further the market-opening and rule-making agenda, have been globally picking up steam, there have also been parallel efforts to usher in a plethora of regional trade agreements and economic unions.
US free trade critics, supporters kick off battle for public opinion
8-Jan-2015 Reuters
Supporters and critics of free trade are readying for a bitter battle this year over major free trade deals and legislation to fast-track trade agreements through the US Congress.
How can BRICS survive amidst TTIP?
5-Jan-2015 Financial Express
BRICS can either pursue a BRICS FTA to balance the TTIP or they can maintain the status quo, argues Geethanjali Nataraj.
CETA draft: Important positions taken by the French National Assembly also relevant for TTIP/TAFTA and the EPAs
18-Dec-2014 Mediapart
On the 23 November 2014, the French National Assembly adopted a resolution whose importance cannot escape the attention of citizens who are opposed to the EU-Canada, EU-US and similar trade agreements.
Conference: For a citizen’s trade agenda: STOP TTIP, CETA, TISA
2-Dec-2014
9 December in the European Parliament in Brussels, organised by GUE/NL
US unions to fight back against right-wing attacks and trade deals
17-Nov-2014 Left Foot Forward
Following the US mid term elections, unions are mobilising opposition against trade agreements, including a major campaign against ‘Fast Track’ legislation, TPP and TTIP.
After its victory, Team Bush resumes its crusade for free trade
7-Nov-2014 AFP
Reassured by the renewed confidence of the American voters, President George W. Bush is going to pursue, even accelerate his free trade strategy in next four years by giving special support to bilateral agreements.
More than 700,000 tell Congress: Fast Track is the wrong path
6-Nov-2014 Huffington Post
Today, representatives from environmental, labor, food and farm, consumer rights and other fair trade allies delivered to US Congress more than 700,000 petitions opposing "fast track"—a piece of legislation that would push harmful trade agreements like the contentious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) through Congress without any meaningful oversight or assurances that the trade pacts would actually benefit workers, families, and the environment.

    Links

  • #A18DoA - Global day of action to defeat free trade and investment treaties
    Website for the global day of action to defeat free trade and investment treaties #A18DoA
  • 21st Century Trade Agreements: Implications for Long-Run Development Policy
    A publication of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The paper examines the policy space available under various free trade regimes for countries pursuing industrial policies for development.
  • Alianza Social Continental
    La Alianza Social Continental es un foro de organizaciones y movimientos sociales progresistas de las Américas, creado para intercambiar información, definir estrategias y promover acciones conjuntas, todo ello encaminado a la búsqueda de un modelo de desarrollo alternativo y democrático, que beneficie a nuestros pueblos
  • ICC
    International Chamber of Commerce
  • Movimientos.org
    A multilingual (English, Spanish, Portuguese) website focusing on social movements and their campaigns, including those against bilateral and regional FTAs.
  • Pambazuka
    In this week’s edition of the Emerging Powers News Round-Up, read a comprehensive list of news stories and opinion pieces related to China, India and other emerging powers...
  • People over profit
    People Over Profit is a campaign network that unites peoples movements and NGOs across the globe to stop free trade agreements (FTAs) and corporate plunder, launched in October 2016.
  • Peoples Global Action
    In February 1998, movements from all continents met in Geneva to launch a worldwide coordination of resistances to the global market, a new alliance of struggle and mutual support called Peoples’ Global Action against "Free" Trade and the World Trade Organisation (PGA).
  • Regional/Multilateral Integration Agreements
    Selected research papers on regional trade agreements, from internationaleconomics.net
  • SOMO
    SOMO links the negotiations and rules on international trade and investment with the actual conduct of corporations within these rules and agreements.
  • South Centre
    An intergovernmental organisation of developing countries
  • Stop fast track!
    10 days to stop fast track in the United States: Jan 22 - 31 2014
  • Third World Network
    TWN’s website is a good source of information and analysis about what’s happening within the multilateral trade system (WTO, UNCTAD, G77, etc).
  • WorldTradeLaw.net
    WorldTradeLaw.net offers a free library of current trade news and resources; a database of dispute settlement tables and statistics; and a user-friendly search tool for legal texts, and other documents.