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West Africa and Europe trade: Who will benefit more?
23-Jun-2014 Al Jazeera
ECOWAS leaders agreed in principle to the trade agreement but put it off until concerns raised by the regional heavyweight, Nigeria, were addressed before a final decision can be taken. Analysis from TWN Africa’s Sylvester Bagooro.
Free trade agreements and environmental destruction
23-Jun-2014 Counter Punch
Washington’s “free-trade agreements” throughout Central and South America are products of the West’s "culture of waste", and must count among their achievements the destruction of huge swathes of the region’s forests, the poisoning of its waters, and the ruin of scores of its indigenous communities.
Obama says hopes for Pacific trade pact in November
23-Jun-2014 Reuters
Pacific trading partners hope to have a free trade agreement ready to present to the public and stakeholders in November, US President Barack Obama said on Friday.
Civil society red-flags FTAs in letter to Commerce Minister
23-Jun-2014 Hindu Business Line
About 75 civil society organisations have written to India’s Commerce Minister Nirmala Seetharaman conveying their concern on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
A plan only banksters will love: WikiLeaks reveals trade deal pushing global financial deregulation
22-Jun-2014 Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! discuss the leaked text with Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch and author of "The Rise and Fall of Fast Track Trade Authority."
WikiLeaks reveals global trade deal kept more secret than the Trans-Pacific Partnership
20-Jun-2014 Truthout
Embattled WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange announced Wednesday from London the publication of a secret draft text of the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), a controversial global trade agreement said to make it easier for corporations to make profits and operate with impunity across borders.
How German opposition could sink a major Canadian trade pact
20-Jun-2014 The Tyee
After many delays, the CETA text could be finalized by negotiators within weeks. But in Europe, a messy fight over its ratification is just beginning, reports Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative’s trade policy analyst Scott Sinclair.
US says ’science’ should settle trans-Atlantic food trade rules
20-Jun-2014 DW
When US farm lobbyists push for "sound science" as the basis for food supply trade rules, what they mean by this term is that they want Europe to eliminate all restrictions on imports of food from the US, and to adopt a US-style food supply regulatory regime, stripped of the precautionary principle.
Vietnam hopes to sign free trade agreement with Eurasian Economic Union by yearend
20-Jun-2014 TASS
Vietnam hopes to sign a agreement on free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) by the end of this year, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Fam Suan Shon told ITAR-TASS on Thursday.
Wikileaks releases secret Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) - Financial Services Annex
19-Jun-2014 Wikileaks
Today, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) Financial Services Annex, which covers 50 countries and 68.2%1 of world trade in services.
The European Commission must not trade off our crown jewels when negotiating the EU-US trade and investment deal
19-Jun-2014 EPHA
SOLIDAR, the Social Platform, EPSU and EPHA are jointly calling on the European Commission to explicitly exclude public services, including social and health services, from the ongoing TTIP negotiations.
TPP talks quietly enter the final stages
19-Jun-2014 Nippon.com
Secrecy has been the general rule for negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but information is gradually coming out as the talks approach the homestretch, reports Yoshizaki Tatsuhiko from Japan.
Colombia Congress rejects free trade deal with South Korea
19-Jun-2014 Colombia Reportd
Colombia’s Congress on Tuesday voted against a signed free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea following disappointing results of a similar deal with the United States.
India, Russia to set up study group to push FTA
19-Jun-2014 Hindu Business Line
India and Russia have agreed to set up a joint study group to look at the feasibility of a free trade agreement between India, the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
EU to delay signing Thai cooperation pact after coup: draft
19-Jun-2014 Reuters
The EU will not sign the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, precursor to an FTA, with Thailand until a democratically elected government is back in place, according to a text seen by Reuters.
French concerns over geographical indications will hamper TTIP talks
18-Jun-2014 EurActiv
Wine is a casus belli for the French government, who may block transatlantic negotiations if geographical indications are not protected. EurActiv France reports.
TTIP: Labour will not back EU-US trade deal without NHS safeguards
18-Jun-2014 IBT
The UK’s shadow trade and investment minister Ian Murray has said that Labour will withdraw its support for the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) if safeguards are not inserted to protect public services including the NHS from US investors.
Bill C-18 – CETA combination would entrench corporate control of food system, says NFU
18-Jun-2014 Daily Exchange
Under CETA, Canada has agreed to empower the courts to apply provisional and precautionary measures that include seizure of assets, destruction of equipment, and freezing of bank accounts against someone suspected of intellectual property rights infringement — that is, before any trial takes place. Plant Breeders’ Rights, which would be bolstered through Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act, are included among the intellectual property rights covered by these measures.
MoEF officials give nod to carbon-trading deal with Japan without political clearance
18-Jun-2014 Business Standard
Indian Ministry of Environment officials have agreed in-principle to a bilateral carbon-trading climate change deal with Japan without a formal approval from the political leadership, putting the BJP government in a corner ahead of PM Modi’s trip to the country.
Canada-Honduras trade agreement adopted by senate, awaits royal assent
18-Jun-2014 iPolitics
It’s a repeat of the polarizing 2010 Canada-Colombia trade deal debate. Supporters find it obvious that expected increases in bilateral trade and investment can only improve lives in Honduras while opponents see a validation of the violent and undemocratic governance that’s prevailed in the country since a 2009 coup removed Manuel Zelaya.