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Live from the TPP: IP chapter shows no sign of resolution, end of negotiation in 2013 highly unlikely
21-May-2013 Infojustice
There is a strong sense in the halls of the current TPP negotiation that the end is not in sight. And one of the primary reasons s a lack of consensus on intellectual property and pharmaceuticals issues, reports Infojustice from Lima.
Consumers International releases three new papers on the TPP for the Lima round
20-May-2013
Consumers International (CI) has commissioned the production of three papers, the first on the competition chapter by one of our members, and the other two by independent experts, respectively covering the investment chapter and how it affects A2K, and the free flow of information provision and its impacts on privacy.
Turkey seeks seat at US-EU trade table
17-May-2013 Reuters
Turkey is pushing for involvement in a proposed free trade pact between the United States and Europe which it fears could leave it sidelined and hamper its ambitions to become a top 10 economy over the next decade.
Rival trade pacts could converge
16-May-2013 China Daily
Separate multiparty free-trade talks in Asia backed by China and the United States are generally seen as a rivalry between the world’s two biggest economies, but some experts say the agreements could prove complementary and ultimately converge.
European firms push Thai-EU FTA talks
16-May-2013 The Nation
Representatives of the European business community in Thailand yesterday said the country’s service sector was in a dangerous situation due to strict local regulations that obstruct foreign investment, especially from Europe.
TIFA will help ease trade in West Africa
16-May-2013 B&FT
If concluded, the TIFA will create opportunities for US companies interested in doing business in West Africa, and will assist in addressing impediments to U.S. trade and investment in the region.
EU-India FTA talks stuck; insurance could be game spoiler
16-May-2013 PTI
Talks between India-EU chief negotiators on FTA today got stuck with the European bloc making clear that the pact cannot proceed unless the insurance sector was further opened up by New Delhi, which expressed its inability to do so without Parliament approval.
IPR lists for trans-Atlantic trade deal still growing; Risk of locking in old IPR regimes?
16-May-2013 IP Watch
Locking in Europe and the United States to “old” intellectual property regimes is the one “killer argument” against including an IP chapter in the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), according to Bernd Hugenholtz, director of the Institute for Information Law (IViR) at the University of Brussels.
Malaysia and the TPPA
16-May-2013 FTA Malaysia
If we put the USTR Report on foreign trade barriers, together with discussions surrounding the ‘leaked’ TPPA chapters and texts on investment, intellectual property, regulatory coherence and transparency, among others, we get a clearer picture of what’s at stake, what changes are being planned to our laws, regulations and policies, and who are the stakeholders who stand to benefit the most from those changes.
In whose interest is EU-India FTA being negotiated?
16-May-2013
NGOS, academics, patient groups, humanitarian organisations, trade unions, farmers groups and mass movements, representing hundreds of organisations and networks across the country, asked Mr. Anand Sharma, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, to explain to the nation which sectors and who exactly are benefiting from the FTA that is currently being negotiated with the European Union.
Can FTAs support ‘Factory Asia’?
16-May-2013 VoxEU
Are free trade agreements good for ‘Factory Asia’? This column argues that rather than supporting ‘Factory Asia’, it is more likely that fragmentation trade has prospered despite the noodle bowl of overlapping FTAs in the region.
A treaty too many
14-May-2013 Down to Earth
India is learning that there is a heavy price to be paid for the large number of bilateral investment treaties, or BITs, it has signed in the hope of attracting foreign investment.
FTA with USA has harmed Colombia, Senator says
14-May-2013 Prensa Latina
A year after the free trade agreement with the United States came into effect, the balance for Colombia is negative: we export less and import more, affirmed senator of the Alternative Democratic Pole Party Jorge Enrique Robledo.
Political opposition to EU-India FTA gathers momentum
14-May-2013 TWN
Leaders of the main opposition parties in India came together recently in New Delhi to voice their opposition to the proposed Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement between India and the European Union
Copyright and secrecy don’t make for good trade agreements
14-May-2013 Infojustice
Copyright is an uncomfortable fit for a trade agreement and should be kept out of the United States-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
‘Full, free’ trade agreement can enhance inter-Arab ties
14-May-2013 Gulf Times
The full implementation of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (Gafta) has the potential of achieving greater economic integration, QNB has said in an analysis.
Bahrain hits back at claims over FTA
14-May-2013 Trade Arabia
Bahrain has hit back at accusations it could have breached its Free Trade Agreement with the US as regards workers’ rights.
Israel keen on starting FTA talks with Peru
14-May-2013 Andina
Israel and Peru expect to kick off negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement before year’s end in order to take advantage of the two economies’ complementariness, Israel’s ambassador to Peru Modi Ephraim said Monday.
EU envoy: US-EU trade pact will be ’game changer’
10-May-2013 Reuters
"We’ve launched this strange animal called TTIP [’tee tip’]," EU Ambassador to the US JoIao Vale de Almeida said. "This is a game-changer. As I like to say, this is the mother of all free trade areas."
Japanese movement against TPP growing
10-May-2013 The Real News Network
Critics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership say it’s an attempt to impose an American system on Japan and would threaten Japanese public healthcare system.