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EU-Korea

In May 2007, the European Union and South Korea started negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement. It took effect on 1 July 2011.

This deal is part of the EU’s post-2006 "Global Europe" strategy to boost the competitiveness of EU corporations in the world by securing deeper commitments to neoliberal policies from trading partners, including expanded rights for European transnationals. In Korea, the European Union is trying to win equal, if not better, footing against US firms after the conclusion of the US-Korea FTA. (The EU makes stronger demands than the US on Korea in the areas of intellectual property, services, competition policy and environmental standards.)

Social movements from both sides mobilised against the deal’s potential impacts. One flashpoint of concern is for Korea’s agricultural sector, where pig farmers in particular are expected to suffer from an influx of subsidised EU pork as a result of this deal.

last update: May 2012
photo: European External Action Service - EEAS/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0


Korean trade deal could fall under Lisbon rules
Speculation is rife within trade circles that the EU’s free trade agreement with South Korea could be in for a rough time from newly-empowered MEPs who strongly oppose aspects of the deal.
FFII calls to remove IP chapter from EU-Korea free trade agreement
The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) calls upon the EU Parliament and member states to remove the intellectual property rights chapter from the EU - Korea Free Trade Agreement.
S.Korea-EU FTA indicates European beef imports may resume
According to a draft of the free trade agreement between South Korea and the European Union, once the FTA takes effect, European beef that has a higher risk for mad cow disease than U.S. beef could be allowed into the country.
EU grabs Korea trade pact that was ours
"For Europe, the deal with Korea was easy. The US had already negotiated a trade pact of its own that was ready to go in 2006. Details of the EU-Korea treaty are nearly identical, so it’s obvious the Europeans just Xeroxed the US-Korea pact and will now walk off with the spoils," write a US business journal.
EU, South Korea ink free-trade deal: commission
The European Union and South Korea on Thursday signed a free trade deal which Brussels said would be worth 19 billion euros (28 billion dollars) in new trade for EU exporters.
EU FTA would increase trade by $98.4 billion
A free trade agreement between Korea and the European Union will eventually increase bilateral trade by about 20 percent if it is fully implemented, British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson estimated yesterday.
EU automakers urge Brussels to ditch SKorea trade deal
European auto manufacturers on Monday urged Brussels not to sign a free trade agreement with South Korea due to be inked over the coming days.
S. Korea to build farming infrastructure in Tanzania
South Korea will develop 100,000 ha of farmland in Tanzania and make inroads into European markets, thanks to the EU-Korean FTA, a state-run rural development corporation said Thursday.
Korea, Italy to expedite FTA
The leaders of South Korea and Italy agreed to expedite a free trade agreement between Seoul and the European Union yesterday in a summit in which culture eclipsed politics.
S Korea, EU to initial free trade deal next month
South Korea and the European Union will initial their bilateral free trade agreement in October as the both sides completed legal reviews of the deal this week, Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Thursday.

    Links


  • EU-Korea FTA SIA
    The EU-Korea FTA Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) is intended to produce studies in order to provide a deeper understanding of the sustainability impacts of the trade and investment aspects of the Free Trade Agreement and of the mechanisms through which they might affect both the EU and Korea.