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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

TTIP and the push for a new global economic order
4-Mar-2015
A lot of protest has arisen against the Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in recent times, and rightly so. For those who take a good look at the available negotiating documents realize that it is about a lot more than granting Access to our markets for chlorine chickens and hormone-infested beef, or the abolition of our committees for Security and Hygiene in the work environment. This is about something bigger. It’s about the continuation and the imposition of the neoliberal agenda. It is about laying the bricks for a hegemonic worldview for the coming decennia.
European trade policy at an impasse
4-Mar-2015 DIE
With all eyes on TTIP, we are losing sight of the real challenges for Europe emerging in the Asia-Pacific economic region, argues Axel Berger
Lawmakers grapple with ‘fast track’ trade bill
25-Feb-2015 WSJ
US congressional leaders crafting the so-called fast-track bill, meant to expedite passage of trade deals, want to include sweeteners to attract skeptical Democrats, including rules to allow lawmakers greater access to details of ongoing trade negotiations.
Obama begins sales pitch on trade to wary US public
22-Feb-2015 Reuters
President Barack Obama on Saturday began a broad sales pitch to the US public about the merits of free trade deals, an area in which he faces stiff resistance from many in his own Democratic party.
Corporate coup d’état: Those crappy trade deals
18-Feb-2015 Counter Punch
The corporate media would prefer that people know nothing about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and other trade deals.
TPP and TTIP: Partners in crime
23-Jan-2015 Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung
Mike Dolan, Vice-President of the Citizens’ Trade Campaign, takes stock of the resistance against both TPP and TTIP in the United States and outlines the strategy we need if we want to prevent the passage of “trade” agreements that threaten to kill jobs, undermine labor standards and environmental regulations, limit access to generic drugs, and even aim to exempt corporations from the judicial process.
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.

    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.