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US refocuses on bilateral trade deals — ambassador
1-Mar-2017 Business World
With the United States looking to drop the Trans Pacific Partnership trade scheme, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said Washington will be leaning towards bilateral free trade agreements.
Australia, Indonesia make headway on free trade deal
1-Mar-2017 Tax-news
Trade ministers from Australia and Indonesia have said that strong progress was made during the sixth round of free trade negotiations.
East Africa: EPA trade deal with Europe is a form of colonialism, says Magufuli
1-Mar-2017 All Africa
Tanzanian President John Magufuli described the Economic Partnership Agreement as a "form of colonialism", dampening the country’s possibility of signing the deal with the European Union.
TransCanada’s $15 billion U.S. Keystone XL NAFTA suit suspended
28-Feb-2017 Reuters
TransCanada Corp has suspended a $15 billion NAFTA suit filed against the United States over the Keystone XL pipeline after U.S. President approved the project.
It’s time to scrap NAFTA, not ‘tweak’ it
28-Feb-2017 Foreign Policy In Focus
Donald Trump seems to think Mexicans made out like bandits from NAFTA. In reality, workers in all three NAFTA countries have suffered.
16-nation RCEP talks resume in wake of TPP’s demise
28-Feb-2017 Japan Times
The RCEP Kobe conference is the first round of negotiations this year and the first since U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was canceling America’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Kobe meeting will set the tone for the remaining negotiations this year, however NGO representatives, noted that the TPP would be the elephant in the room.
RCEP and health: this kind of ‘progress’ is not what India and the world need
28-Feb-2017 The Wire
Concerns remain over the impact of RCEP negotiations on public health and access to medicines.
Statement of public interest principles for copyright protection under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
28-Feb-2017 Info Justice
Civil Society Statement concerning about the copyright protection standards proposed for the RCEP IP Chapter.
Protecting the rights of tribals
28-Feb-2017 The Hindu
Even as bilateral investment treaties are strengthened, domestic legislation must be implemented.
Gold jewelry maker asks government for FTA with UAE
28-Feb-2017 Jakarta Post
Major gold jewelry producer has asked the government to establish a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates to lower the country’s import tax for Indonesian jewelry.
Business groups seek progress on Australia-Indonesia FTA
28-Feb-2017 Tax-news
Businesses from Australia and Indonesia have urged officials to reach an agreement on a new trade deal by August (2017), the target date set by ministers.
EFTA, Mercosur to begin FTA negotiations
28-Feb-2017 Tax-news
Delegations from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states and MERCOSUR met to prepare for the upcoming negotiations of a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.
Talks for South Korea-GCC FTA to be resumed soon
28-Feb-2017 Business Korea
Three rounds of negotiations for the South Korea-GCC FTA were underway in 2007 to 2009 but the talks came to a halt when the GCC withdrew from the negotiating table in the wake of the global financial crisis at that time.
Armenia reaches new political agreement with EU
28-Feb-2017 RFERL
The European Union and Armenia have agreed on a new pact tightening political ties, more than three years after Yerevan walked away from a more far-reaching political and commercial deal with the EU to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union.
Trade deal ups risks in Chinese firm’s takeover of seniors’ care giant
28-Feb-2017 The Tyee
FIPA means province could be blocked from improving care standards for residents.
As Trump quashes TPP, Canada pushes pact with India
28-Feb-2017 The Hindu
But Ottawa’s stance on model investment treaty has New Delhi worried
India should not let Europe undermine its new BIT and TRIPs flexibilities for medicines
27-Feb-2017 Sunday Guardian Live
There is no principled basis for EU’s demand of extending patent protection beyond the period of 20 years.
Europe pushes ahead with controversial Canadian trade deal, opens door for tar sands
27-Feb-2017 Desmog
The trade deal could facilitate energy companies suing Member State governments when environmental policies threaten their profits.
Law professors address RCEP negotiators on copyright
26-Feb-2017 Electronic Frontier Foundation
The recent death of the TPP has thrust RCEP further into the spotlight, and raised the stakes both for its sixteen prospective parties, and for lobbyists with designs to stamp their own mark on the text’s intellectual property and e-commerce chapters.
MSF calls on Japan and South Korea to drop the harmful RCEP measures
26-Feb-2017 MSF
The intellectual property provisions initiated by Japan and South Korea go far beyond the requirements needed under international trade rules.