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China open to historic free-trade deal with Canada under certain provisos
15-Jan-2016 The Globe and Mail
China wants to forge a trade deal with Canada but this will require Canadian concessions on investment restrictions and a commitment to build an energy pipeline to the coast.
More than 500 civil society organisations from Myanmar express their concerns about the Investment Protection Agreement with the EU
14-Jan-2016 TNI
Letter from civil society organizations in Myanmar to EC Commissioner Malmström.
Canada-India free trade agreement talks delayed
14-Jan-2016 The Hindu
Canada asks officials to focus on TPP ratification instead; wants India to first ink bilateral investment pact.
TTIP vs. WTO: Who sets global standards?
14-Jan-2016 EurActiv
TTIP’s ability to create global standards is limited. The agreement may even be detrimental to the promotion of higher social or environmental standards.
Global economy moved one step forward, one step back in 2015
14-Jan-2016 Market Watch
The problem of TPP is with the “investment” chapter, which severely constrains environmental, health, and safety regulation, and even financial regulations with significant macroeconomic impacts.
Industry meets Nirmala Sitharaman, flags FTAs
13-Jan-2016
Representatives of industry raised concerns about the impact of various free-trade agreements (FTAs) on the country’s trade and sought more clarity on guidelines governing e-commerce in a meeting with commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday.
SMEs need support to benefit from free trade pacts
13-Jan-2016
Domestic small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) need close co-operation from public offices in getting information about regulations of free trade agreements (FTAs) for getting more benefits from the agreements.
Nirmala Sitharaman: Govt open to revisiting FTAs
13-Jan-2016
The government is open to reviewing and renegotiating existing free trade agreements (FTAs) India has signed with different countries, Union minister of state for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday.
Rafael Correa announces that Ecuador will assume Oxy’s “liabilities”
13-Jan-2016 El Universo
President Rafael Correa announced that Ecuador has reached a payment plan with the US oil company, Occidental (Oxy)
Who has benefited financially from investment treaty arbitration?
13-Jan-2016 SSRN
The beneficiaries of ISDS have overwhelmingly been companies with more than USD1 billion in annual revenue and individuals with more than USD100 million in net wealth.
Join us!
12-Jan-2016
TTIP: The downfall of EU agriculture?
12-Jan-2016 EurActiv
A new study has concluded that TTIP threatens to completely change the way small and medium sized farms operate, through the use of more genetic engineering and more hormone-treated meat.
EU and US divisions over data protection threaten agreement
12-Jan-2016 EurActiv
Persistent disagreements between the United States and the European Union over the treatment of personal data threaten to undermine international standards.
Ecuador is paying Occidental $980M to settle its lawsuit
12-Jan-2016 Seeking Alpha
Ecuador paid $100M on Dec. 21; will pay another $100M on Jan. 15; $100M on Jan. 31; $200M on Feb. 29; $300M on March 31; and the remainder on April 29.
Trans-Pacific Partnership will barely benefit Australia, says World Bank report
12-Jan-2016 Sydney Morning Herald
Prepared by staff from the World Bank, the study says the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership would boost Australia’s economy by just 0.7 per cent by the year 2030.
South Africa ends trade row with US over chicken imports
12-Jan-2016 BBC
South Africa has resolved a trade row with the US which threatened to throw South Africa out of its preferential trade programme over its refusal to allow the importation of American chickens.
Karuturi challenges Ethiopia decision to cancel farm project
11-Jan-2016 Bloomberg
Karuturi Global Ltd., one of the largest investors in Ethiopia’s farm industry, is challenging the termination of its project, claiming the government broke the terms of its agreement with the company.
Trade-friendly Vietnam now offers far more than just low-cost labor
11-Jan-2016 Thanh Nien News
Chairman of the EU-ASEAN Business Council explains why foreign investors are interested in Vietnam
Final TPP auto RoO package differs from expected outcome in two ways
11-Jan-2016 World Trade Online
Critics of the flexibility mechanism argue that it further opens the door for more content from non-TPP countries to be included in originating vehicles and auto parts.
Malaysia, only country with opt-out clause in TPPA
11-Jan-2016 Malaysian Digest
Malaysia is the only country to be granted an opt-out clause in a side letter to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).