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Customs regime: Is it vital for Zambia?
The history of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) began in December 1994, when it was formed to replace the Preferential Trade Area (PTA), which had existed from the earlier days of 1981.
The challenges of the Pacific Alliance: Regional sovereignty in Latin America or a pampered periphery
Two projects of regional association are facing off in South America: the Pacific Alliance and UNASUR.
TPP talks kick off in Malaysia; Japan waits
The 18th round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations began Monday in Malaysia as Japan prepares to make its debut near the end of the 11-day conference.
‘Promotion of SAARC trade top priority’
Promotion of trade among SAARC countries is one of the top priorities of the government, said Federal Minister for Finance Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar talking to Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody High Commissioner of Sri Lanka.
The US-EU trade deal: don’t buy the hype
There has been a big push out of Washington to convince the public that an economic bonanza awaits us if we can just complete a trade deal with the European Union. This is complete nonsense, unless we define down bonanza to mean finding a quarter on the street.
Moves to fast-track China trade deal
Kevin Rudd will accelerate efforts to stitch up a fresh trade deal with China ahead of the election and plans to send new Trade Minister Richard Marles to hold top-level talks in Beijing next week.
Government likely to review bilateral trade pacts, FTAs to reassess gains
The government may review India’s bilateral trade pacts including free trade agreements (FTAs) amid increasing clamour from the industry against conceding foreign trading partners more access to the country’s market without extracting significant gains in return.
A cautionary tale: Laos violates another Sanum agreement
Sanum Investments Limited ("Sanum") had seemingly found a winning formula with its hospitality and entertainment enterprises in Lao PDR, until the Government arbitrarily revoked licences, cancelled concessions, imposed wrongful tax penalties and, most significantly, forcibly took control of its highly lucrative Thanaleng Slot Club.
Vice economics minister calls for new procedures in FTA talks
Vice Economic Affairs Minister Cho Shih-chao agreed Monday with suggestions that a set of standard operating procedures be established in negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) to strike a balance between confidentiality and open information.
Japanese farmers struggle to make election choices over TPP
With upper house elections approaching, Japanese farmers are skeptical about the Liberal Democratic Party after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.
US activists praise Europe’s ways in trade talks
American activists urged European trade negotiators on Wednesday not to weaken environmental and food standards as they begin talks in Washington on a trans-Atlantic free trade agreement.
Cargill flouts law to secretly build land bank in Colombia
Investors started arriving in droves when Colombia and the US negotiated and signed a free trade agreement in May 2012 and they are now looking to acquire land.
India agrees to negotiate bilateral investment treaty with US
India told the US on Friday it was ready to negotiate a Bilateral Investment Treaty, knocking down yet another irritant bedeviling business ties between the two countries.
EU-India free trade agreement: Is it a corporate-driven agenda?
Although there are serious impacts on food security and the livelihood security of millions of farmers and small retailers, farmers haven’t even been informed nor consulted about the FTA.
Civil society groups call upon the Indian Government to reject US pressure on Economic Policies
In an open letter to the Prime Minister of India, the Forum Against Free Trade Agreements in India has called upon the government to review its forthcoming economic engagements with the USA, and to reject pressure from the US government and business lobby groups on India’s economic policies.
Trans-Atlantic trade symposium
VIdeo recording of civil society symposium on the US-EU trade agreement negotiations
The major obstacles to the EU-US free trade deal
Topics where EU and US politicians and stakeholders’ interests clash — such as public procurement, data protection, financial services and agricultural issues like geographical indicators and sanitary and phytosanitary measures – will prove the most problematic during talks.
USA et Chine d’accord pour négocier un traité d’investissements
Les Etats-Unis et la Chine sont tombés d’accord pour relancer les négociations sur un traité d’investissements, suspendues depuis plusieurs années en raison de l’insistance de Pékin à exclure certains secteurs des discussions.
EU, Canada approach to investment could have mixed impact on US talks
A confidential text on the investment provisions of the Canada-European Union free trade agreement (CETA) shows that the two parties have broken new ground in defining the key concept of fair and equitable treatment for investors.
NZ Taiwan trade deal puts heat on China FTA
The Rudd government is likely to face new pressure from rural exporters to push ahead with a free trade agreement with China after New Zealand signed a breakthrough deal with Taiwan on Wednesday.