bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

China to have talks with Sri Lanka on FTA
29-Dec-2015
The Chinese Government says it will have talks with Sri Lanka next year on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Modi’s Pak stopover ignites hope for trade talks
28-Dec-2015
Trade dialogue between India and Pakistan — officially in the cold storage for almost three years — is set to be revived, now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has broken the political ice with Islamabad with his Christmas visit to Lahore.
Unresolved trade pact: India to meet EU in Jan
27-Dec-2015
Months after it called off talks between chief negotiators of the two sides on free trade agreement (FTA) to protest against the ban on sale of around 700 pharma products of a domestic company, India will meet officials from the European Union (EU) later next month to “take stock of the negotiations” on the long-pending FTA.
Abertis hauls Argentina’s new government before the World Bank on account of two motorways
22-Dec-2015 El Diario
Abertis has hauled Argentina’s Attorney General’s Treasury Office before the World Bank’s Arbitration Dispute Settlement body (known as ICSID) for freezing tariffs applied to two concessions for motorways controlled by the Spanish company in Argentina.
TWN: Common claims about TPPA investment chapter, ISDS – a rebuttal
22-Dec-2015 Aliran
Claims of the much-touted supposed ‘benefits’ of the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism are not really what they seem.
Sri Lanka studies feasibility of joining TPP
22-Dec-2015 Economy Next
Sri Lanka’s Institute of Policy Studies has started to study the feasibility of joining the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Big Pharma rewarded as drug prices keep soaring
22-Dec-2015 The Tyee
The escalation in patent protections is set to occur just as drug prices hit all-time highs in Canada and pharmaceutical investment in research and development sinks to decade-long lows.
The free trade theory versus the ...
22-Dec-2015 Fiji Times
PACER-Plus is shaping up as an agreement that won’t fit into the Pacific reality, will have weak protections for Pacific businesses and undermines the ability of governments to enact policies to support and nurture vital Pacific industries.
EU and the Philippines launch negotiations for a free trade agreement
22-Dec-2015 New Europe
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Philippine Secretary of Trade and Industry Gregory Domingo agreed to start negotiations for an EU-Philippines free trade agreement (FTA).
Maldives begins free trade pact discussion with China
21-Dec-2015
The two-day discussion on establishing the Maldives-China free trade pact began early Monday in Bandos Island Resort.
Korea FTA to boost NZ’s farming, dairy firms
21-Dec-2015
The most significant characteristic of the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which came into force on Sunday, is that it was a "catch-up deal" rather than a new one, says New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Clare Fearnley.
Govt sets up working group to examine impact of FTAs
21-Dec-2015
The government has constituted an independent working group under the Chief Economic Advisor to examine the impact of free trade agreements (FTAs) signed by India, the Parliament was informed today.
Pact on free trade between Viet Nam, S Korea takes effect
21-Dec-2015 Viet Nam News
The RoK projects are mainly poured into industrial processing and manufacturing, real estate, retail and wholesale, and construction, with total investment exceeding $5 billion.
L’accord de libre-échange Vietnam-R​. de Corée entre en vigueur
21-Dec-2015 Vietnam+
Les investissements​ de la Corée concernent principalement la transformation et la fabrication industrielle, l’immobilier, la vente au détail et en gros, et la construction, avec une somme totale de plus de 5 milliards de dollars.
The dismissal of a case against plain cigarette packaging is good news for taxpayers
21-Dec-2015 The Age
I only wish to caution that we should be wary of anyone who suggests that the decision demonstrates that ISDS isn’t problematic.
Approaches for an alternative strategy to the FTA
19-Dec-2015 ALAI
The major challenge consists in rescuing the sovereignty of our States, that has been chipped away in recent times by untrammelled US power and its giant corporations and by the subjugation (“by free determination”) of regimes such as those in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Land deals and investment treaties
18-Dec-2015 IIED
The vast majority of the land deals from the recent wave of agribusiness investments in low and middle-income countries are protected by at least one investment treaty.
Philip Morris loses case against Australia’s tobacco plain packaging law
18-Dec-2015 The Australian Financial Review
Cigarette company Philip Morris has suffered another defeat in its long-running bid to overturn Australia’s plain packaging laws.
TPP ratification process grinding to a halt as Canada launches ’widespread consultations’ on the deal
18-Dec-2015 Tech Dirt
In Canada, the government there makes good on its promise to consult the public on the deal. TPP may be done, but it’s by no means dusted.
China steps up push for more free-trade pacts to counter US-led TPP
18-Dec-2015 South China Morning Post
China has laid out a road map in its quest for free-trade agreements, pledging to reach deals with most of its neighbours and to further open up its own markets.