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The Commission seeks greater power for European companies’ investing abroad
19-May-2008 Baltic Course
The European Commission is seeking to take more power in regulating deals for the European companies working abroad; first of all in deals concerning protection of investments abroad, a role traditionally undertaken by the EU’s member states in their trade outside the Union-block. Hence, the EU common commercial policy rules might extend to investments, as well.
EU polishes trade talks with Latin America - except Mercosur
19-May-2008 Thaindian News
The European Union brushed up its trade talks with Latin American regional blocs Saturday in Lima, making progress with Mexico, the Andean Community and Central America. But progress with the Mercosur bloc that includes the region’s economic giants of Brazil and Argentina, with Venezuela in the midst of seeking ratification to join, remained stalled.
Biofuels, food and trade top EU-Latin America Summit
19-May-2008 EurActiv
European and Latin American leaders pledged to deepen trade ties between their two regions and tackle global warming and poverty at the fifth EU-Latin America-Caribbean Summit in Lima.
EC’s non-coherent EPA policy on Africa
16-May-2008 New Era
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) agenda of the European Commission (EC) clearly illustrates the masquerade of its disdainful approach towards Africa in an accelerated disregard for the EU’s coherence policy.
Investment provisions in Economic Partnership Agreements
15-May-2008
This paper examines the investment provisions of the CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement and their implications for development. The paper also clarifies the link between investment provisions in an EPA and existing bilateral investment treaties. It concludes with recommendations for both review of the investment provisions in the CARIFORUM EPA, and for other ACP states that decide to embark on negotiations on investment with the EU.
Rules of Origin and EPAs: What has been agreed? What does it mean? What next?
15-May-2008
This paper provides an analysis on the significance of changes made to rules of origin during the EPA negotiations
Intellectual property in EU EPAs with the ACP countries: What way forward after the Cariforum EPA and the interim EPAs?
13-May-2008 CIEL
This paper explores the implications of ACP Countries continuing negotiations for further IPR protection in EPAs by: conducting an analysis to determine the exact nature of commitments that the ACP regions have made regarding the basis and scope of future negotiations on IPRs; examining some of the more significant provisions on IPRs in the EU-Cariforum EPA; and concluding with recommendations for future actions that ACP countries can take in their approach to IPRs in future EPA negotiations.
Laing: Telecom, real estate excluded from EPA negotiations
12-May-2008 Bahama Journal
Telecommunications and real estate in The Bahamas are two sectors that are, for now, off limits for negotiations under the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and CARIFORUM, State Minister for Finance Zhivargo Laing reported yesterday.
Tate & Lyle enters into long-term agreement on the supply of raw sugar with Fiji Sugar Corporation Ltd
12-May-2008 NPI
Tate & Lyle has entered into a long-term agreement on the supply of raw sugar for preferential import into the European Union under the provisions of the Economic Partnership Agreement between Fiji and the European Union.
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to be signed in July
12-May-2008 Jamaica Gleaner
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Commission and the Caribbean states will be signed in July. The decision was made at the 26th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development which ended in Antigua and Barbuda on Saturday.
Govt asks EU to lift ‘paranoid’ health-related trade barriers
12-May-2008 Financial Express
In a move that may help negotiators to move ahead with the proposed India-European Union free-trade agreement (FTA), the Indian government has forwarded two significant suggestions to the EU to settle the wrangling on it’s health-related trade rules.
Flexible approach to drive EU-Asean FTA negotiations
11-May-2008
A flexible approach within the regional framework of the European Union (EU)-Asean free trade agreement (FTA) will help drive the negotiations forward, according to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson.
7th FTA talks with EU start in Belgium today
11-May-2008
Delegations from South Korea and the European Union will get together for a new round of the free trade agreement (FTA) talks starting today in Brussels, Belgium.
$1bn deal
10-May-2008
The Fiji Sugar Corporation has sealed a $1 billion deal for the supply of raw sugar as preferential imports to the European Union market over the next seven years.
EP: Trade and economic relations with the countries of South East Asia (ASEAN)
9-May-2008 European Parliament
The European Parliament is in favour of concluding a free-trade accord between the EU and the 10 countries of ASEAN. However, say MEPs in the committee, the agreement must meet certain conditions regarding sustainable development, the fight against fraud and respect for human rights.
Wanted: One voice on Economic Partnership Agreement
8-May-2008
Senegalese Minister for Commerce Mamadou Diop has warned that African governments will continue to be pushed around by the European Union and its allies if they continue to adopt an individualistic approach to negotiating for fair trade deals.
Free to be poisoned
8-May-2008
Not everyone was disappointed when the Doha round of trade talks got bogged down in endless wrangling. After all, the United States and the European Union were pushing developing countries to liberalise their economies still further, while refusing to abolish their own agricultural subsidies. Better no trade deal than a bad one, or so we thought.
EPAs must serve as a wake up call for Ghanaians - CEPA
8-May-2008
The Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), Dr Joe Abbey has challenged Ghanaians to take advantage of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) to raise their production capacities. He explained that the EPAs must serve as a wake-up call to the country instead of thinking of creating barriers to stop the entry of European goods. "The status quo of sitting down and only repeating our story of how we have been colonized must be stopped. Let us look at the hard facts and deal with it," he said.
Activists Slam Trade Ministry Over EPAs
6-May-2008
Civil society organisations and the parliamentarians last week clashed with the trade ministry officials over the signing of an interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) with the European Union.
Africa’s trade unions want EU trade agreements scrapped
5-May-2008
Africa’s trade unions called on their governments to nullify the interim trade agreements they have signed with the European Union, saying they leave African nations "weak" within the global market.