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EFTA

No more free rides in free trade deals
11-Mar-2021 Swiss Info
The Swiss narrowly voted in favour of a free trade deal with Indonesia on Sunday. Will future agreements also have to win popular support?
Swiss free trade deal with Indonesia narrowly survives referendum
7-Mar-2021 swissinfo.ch
Voters in Switzerland have given the green light to a free trade deal with Indonesia with a small majority of 51.6%.
Palm oil row fuels Swiss vote on Indonesia trade deal
5-Mar-2021 France 24
Switzerland votes Sunday on a free trade deal with Indonesia but the agreement, which opens up a vast potential market, could slip up over the issue of palm oil imports.
EFTA insists on the UPOV clause in negotiating mandates for free trade agreements (FTAs)
4-Mar-2021 Swiss Coalition for the Right to Seed
EFTA’s response to the June 2020 open letter, supported by 250 organisations from around the world, is disappointing. EFTA maintains the UPOV 91 requirement in FTAs. The right to seeds therefore remains under pressure.
Palm oil in focus as Swiss vote on trade pact with Indonesia
2-Mar-2021 Reuters
Swiss voters will decide on a free trade agreement with Indonesia on Sunday, with lower tariffs on palm oil imports the main issue in what the polls predict will be a tight referendum.
Switzerland commits $65 million in development aid to Indonesia
26-Feb-2021 Swiss Info
The Swiss government has allocated grant funding of $65 million over a period of four years to the island nation, in order to promote inclusive and sustainable development.
Norway must say no to the Mercosur agreement
9-Feb-2021 Handelskampanjen
Joint statement from several civil society organizations and farmers’ associations with requirements for the Mercosur agreement.
The Swiss Farmers’ Union: Sustainability reduced to absurdity
4-Feb-2021 Uniterre
The FTA with Indonesia showcases a supposed sustainability, but it is only a large-scale scam.
Australia eyes new trade deal with Israel, focusing on cyber security, innovation
3-Feb-2021 Sydney Morning Herald
Australia will turn its attention towards clinching a trade agreement with Israel. A similar feasibility study to scope the benefits of beginning trade negotiations with European Free Trade Association countries.
PBI-Switzerland notes referendum on free trade deal with Indonesia as Canada launches consultation on similar agreement
27-Jan-2021 PBI Canada
Human rights defenders on the ground have been drawing attention for many years to the negative consequences of palm oil cultivation for small farmers, indigenous people and the environment.
Dispute over palm oil: Agreement with Indonesia breaks new ground
15-Jan-2021 Info Sperber
Only implementation can show what the palm oil agreement with Indonesia is worth, says trade expert Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi.
Indonesia expects to ratify trade deal with EFTA soon to attract new investment
3-Dec-2020 The Jakarta Post
The Indonesian government is expecting to finish the ratification of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement with EFTA early next year in a bid to attract investment from those countries amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Norway, Britain in provisional trade agreement on goods for no-deal Brexit scenario
22-Oct-2020 Reuters
Norway and Britain have signed a temporary, limited agreement to help maintain trade in goods in case there is no final Brexit trade deal in place by year-end.
Thailand tries to get Efta pact in place
1-Oct-2020 Bangkok Post
Thailand has kick-started efforts to forge a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association, a regional trade bloc consisting of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
EFTA-Ecuador FTA enters into force 1 November 2020
23-Sep-2020 International Trade Compliance Update
On 21 September 2020, the Federal Customs Administration announced that the EFTA-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement will enter into force on 1 November 2020.
No more EFTA power play against the South!
9-Jul-2020 Swiss Right to Seeds Coalition
Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway are undermining farmers’ rights to seeds in the countries of the global South
Swiss supermarkets ban produce from occupied Western Sahara
6-Jul-2020 WSRW
The Swiss Federal Council stated on several occasions that it did not consider its free trade agreement with Morocco to apply to the large part of Western Sahara that is under Moroccan occupation.
Swiss ‘Stop Palm Oil’ plea ready for referendum consideration
3-Jul-2020 Swiss Info
Activists in Switzerland are calling for a ‘Stop Palm Oil’ referendum opposing the Swiss free trade agreement (FTA) with Indonesia. They submitted thousands of signed petitions to the Federal Chancellery in Bern on Monday.
India to step up free trade agreement talks despite self-reliance mantra
15-Jun-2020 Financial Express
India hasn’t shunned efforts to forge “balanced” trade agreements despite renewed push for self-reliance, and talks with key partners, including the US, the EU and Australia, will gain momentum once the impact of the pandemic wanes considerably.
Call to action! Stop EFTA countries to undermine farmers’ rights to seed in free trade agreements
11-Jun-2020 Recht auf saatgut
Sign-on the letter for organisations.