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Finance ministry to move Cabinet for clearing new BIPA text
24-Jun-2014 TOI
Ignoring protests from India’s department of industrial policy and promotion, the department of economic affairs is planning to approach the Union Cabinet for a go-ahead for the new model text for bilateral investment protection agreements (BIPAs).
Canada targets South Africa as priority market in Africa
24-Jun-2014 Globe and Mail
Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast said he will continue to lobby South African leaders about the benefits of bilateral investment treaties, despite their rejection of the idea. Canada signed a BIT with Burkina Faso this month and Fast announced this week that Madagascar is moving toward a similar deal with Canada.
Norway ratified free trade agreement with Costa Rica and Panama
24-Jun-2014 FIS
Free trade agreement with Costa Rica and Panama has been ratified by the Norwegian Parliament, granting Norwegian fish exporters the same terms and conditions as their competitors in the region, which implies they will operate on equal footing with countries such as Chile.
Australia says China free trade deal likely by end of year
24-Jun-2014 Reuters
China and Australia, which have been trying to set up a bilateral free trade agreement for years, are determined to sign a deal by the end of this year, Australia’s trade chief said on Tuesday after talks with Chinese leaders.
European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP and CETA to start soon
24-Jun-2014 Mehr Demokratie
Organisations from all across Europe are currently gearing up for a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) with the aim of repealing the European Union’s negotiating mandate for the Transatlantic Trade Investor Partnership (TTIP) and not concluding the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
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.