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Lee invited to address US Congress
9-Oct-2011
President Lee Myung-bak’s upcoming state visit to the United States is expected to receive a warmer reception than ever before ahead of the impending endorsement of a free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) between the two countries.
Business leaders call for Japan’s participation in TPP talks
8-Oct-2011
Japanese and U.S. business leaders on Friday jointly urged the government to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks soon, as the nine countries involved in the multilateral free trade framework aim to reach agreement on a broad outline in November.
BOFT warns about local impact of US-South Korea FTA
8-Oct-2011
Taiwanese industries must prepare themselves for the impact of an upcoming free-trade agreement (FTA) between the US and South Korea, which might hurt local business opportunities in the US market, the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) said.
Trade agreements make lobbyists millions
7-Oct-2011
US Justice Department records show that Panama’s, Korea’s and Colombia’s Washington embassies, foreign ministries, and trade agencies forked over at least $15 million for lobbying, legal, and PR expenses since the beginning of 2006 to help push for the agreements, The Hill reports.
“Mercosur won’t destroy European agriculture”, says EU business lobby
7-Oct-2011 MercoPress
The head of Business-Europe International Relations said Wednesday that a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur “would not destroy European agriculture” in spite of fears from farmers.
Sad but true: Canada and Mexico have no clout in Washington
7-Oct-2011 Globe and Mail
Although Canada and Mexico make extraordinarily large contributions to America’s economic strength, homeland security and international effectiveness, they have virtually no influence in Washington’s corridors of power.
Canada says EU free-trade talks at "advanced" stage, deal in offing
7-Oct-2011 WSJ
Canada’s chief negotiator on a free-trade deal with the European Union said Thursday talks are at an "advanced" stage and there’s no reason an agreement can’t be reached by early next year.
Protecting investors’ rights: An assessment of EU’s new mandate on international investments
7-Oct-2011 Madhyam
This article tries to provide a first brief assessment of the leaked EU negotiation mandate for an investment protecting agreement in the EU free trade agreements with Canada, India and Singapore.
EU angers Government
7-Oct-2011 The Namibian
The Namibian government is furious after a hush-hush decision by the European Union (EU) to close its duty- and quota-free markets to Namibian beef, fish and grapes by 2014 unless the country signs a controversial trade pact.
Caricom advised to end economic partnership with Europe
7-Oct-2011 Antigua Observer
Caricom leaders have failed, as a group, to press European countries for reparations for the slave trade, social commentator Dr Radcliffe Robbins said yesterday. As a result, he recommends that member states abandon the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed in 2008 with Europe.
Canada travellers to face US surcharge from US-Colombia trade pact
5-Oct-2011 WSJ
"Assuming this free-trade agreement gets passed, this will increase imports from Colombia to the United States ... and Canada will pay for the cost of Colombian goods shipped to the US," said Birgit Matthiesen, a US-based adviser for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, a Canadian business lobby.
Karel De Gucht: The state of play of the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations – transcript
5-Oct-2011 Eurasia Review
"I know that Business Europe and CNI are strong supporters of the trade agreement and believe it will create thousands of jobs. But we are at a delicate stage of negotiations – with some voices critical of the competition it might bring."
EU farm losses from trade deal with Mercosur ‘would range 1 to 3 billion Euros’
4-Oct-2011 MercoPress
European Union farmers could suffer losses ranking from one to three billion Euros if a trade agreement is finally agreed with Mercosur according to a European Commission evaluation paper on the impact.
As bilateral trade deals proceed, WIPO hears warnings, calls for change
4-Oct-2011 IP Watch
On 1 October, eight governments – Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States – signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), negotiated entirely behind closed doors with almost no known input from the public or elected officials.
Trade pacts set for heated fight
4-Oct-2011 WSJ
The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, opposes all three agreements and will hold a Capitol Hill demonstration Tuesday to protest them. But the short timeline mapped out for passage gives opponents little time to block the deals.
Cabinet approves GCC-EFTA trade pact
4-Oct-2011 Saudi Gazette
The Council of Ministers Monday approved the Free Trade Agreement between GCC member states and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) signed in Hamar in Norway on June 26, 2009.
Swiss seek fresh impetus from India trade talks
4-Oct-2011 swissinfo.ch
Switzerland is seeking to improve access to the Indian market for its chemical and pharmaceutical products, machines and watches and to extend patent protection to prevent Indian producers of cheap generic drugs benefiting from clinical tests developed by other companies
Race to the bottom: Maquiladoras, free trade, can of worms
4-Oct-2011 COHA
Obama does not mention that FTAs traditionally have prompted US companies to transfer their manufacturing processes to countries with lower wages, rather than noticeably creating jobs in this country, writes COHA
CWA: Colombia free trade agreement is a flawed plan, will not improve workers’ lives in Colombia
4-Oct-2011 CWA Union
Communications Workers of America calls on Congress to reject the US-Colombia FTA
Retailers to hold nationwide rally against FTA
4-Oct-2011 Korea Herald
The Korea Federation of Retail Organizations plans to hold a nationwide rally at the end of this month to call for protection measures related to the free trade pacts with the European Union and the United States.