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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

Brussels moves on negotiating trade treaties
12-Jul-2010 FT
The European Commission wants to replace a thicket of about 1,200 bilateral investment treaties signed by the EU’s 27 member states over five decades with far fewer treaties binding the entire bloc.
G20 leaders drop Doha target, see smaller deals
29-Jun-2010 Reuters
World leaders dropped a commitment on Saturday to complete the troubled Doha trade round this year and vowed to push forward on bilateral and regional trade talks until a global deal could be done.
WTO DG Pascal Lamy describes FTAs as "politically convenient" instruments
25-Jun-2010
Asean has been interested in using Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as instruments for promoting trade in the globalised economy.
EU seals trade deals with Central America, Peru, Colombia - summary
20-May-2010 dpa
The European Union on Wednesday signed agreements liberalizing trade with Central America, Peru and Colombia, while some Latin American leaders criticized such deals as only favouring rich countries.
EU-LatAm trade deals dangerous for both sides says José Bové
19-May-2010 Euronews
“I think these agreements are dangerous for South American producers and for European producers. For example, the agro-food industry today wants to export huge amounts of milk, to try to offload surplus; that’s only for its benefit. It risks harming major milk producers Uruguay, Argentina and others.”
EU, Latam to talk trade, boycott threat looms
17-May-2010 Reuters
The European Union will seek to conclude trade agreements with several Latin American countries and revive stalled negotiations with others when 60 European and Latin America countries meet this week in Madrid.
Facts are stubborn things when it comes to trade
10-May-2010 The Hill
We’re all entitled to our own opinion about NAFTA-style trade pacts, but we’re not entitled to our own facts. The most peculiar claim is that the US has trade surpluses with its FTA partners, when in fact the data show we have a deficit.
EU balks at action on Japan economic pact
29-Apr-2010 Financial Times
The European Union on Wednesday agreed to launch a "joint examination" of its trade and investment ties with Japan, but waved aside Tokyo’s call for preparations for an "economic integration agreement" that supporters say would benefit both sides by billions of euros a year.
Hoyer says trade deal vote this year doubtful
23-Apr-2010
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Thursday it was doubtful that the House this year will take up pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.
Memo to US: only fools rush in
22-Mar-2010 Guardian
If negotiators aren’t careful, a US-China investment treaty could prove as explosive as currency manipulation or climate change

    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.