bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

EU leaders mull new US trade proposals ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
27-Jun-2025 France 24
European Union leaders considered new US trade proposals ahead of the July 9 deadline for US President Donald Trump’s tariffs at a Brussels summit. They also addressed the Mercosur trade agreement, Russia sanctions, and restructuring the World Trade Organization.
’Double standards’: Spain slams EU inaction on Israel deal
27-Jun-2025 DW
An EU report concluded Israel might be breaching human rights in Gaza. The bloc could suspend a major trade deal, but it won’t. A brief hardening towards Israel appears to have dissipated after recent tensions with Iran.
AfCFTA annexes under wraps as talks continue behind closed doors
27-Jun-2025 bilaterals.org
African governments are deep in consultations over new annexes to the African Continental Free Trade Area, according to sources aware of the negotiations. Though what exactly is on the table remains largely opaque.
Friedrich Merz wants a US trade deal within days. The EU fears it will be a bad one.
26-Jun-2025 Politico
The German leader is piling the pressure on Brussels to strike a deal soon with Trump so Europe doesn’t end up with the scraps.
Switzerland and Chile enter into new Bilateral Investment Treaty
26-Jun-2025 CMS Law-Now
On 3 June 2025, Switzerland and Chile signed a new bilateral investment treaty. Chile is one of the most important destinations for Swiss foreign investment in Latin America.
EU-South America trade deal must not ‘sacrifice agriculture,’ says Polish minister
26-Jun-2025 TVP
Poland’s agriculture minister has reiterated his country’s opposition to a trade deal between the European Union and a bloc of South American countries, saying that farming should not be “sacrificed” for gains in other sectors.
Pak-US Trade Talks to Conclude Next Week
26-Jun-2025 Rediff
Pakistan and US trade talks expected to conclude next week, aiming for a strategic and investment partnership. Finance Minister Aurangzeb and US Commerce Secretary Lutnick discussed expediting the agreement.
Negotiations update on an enhanced UK-Switzerland FTA
26-Jun-2025 UK Government
The seventh round of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement with Switzerland took place in London between 5 and 13 June 2025.
EU commits €1.1 billion to boost AfCFTA as Job creation, MSMEs take centre stage
25-Jun-2025 PM News
The European Union (EU) has committed about €1.1 billion to help the African Union (AU) implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a key agreement aimed at boosting trade across Africa.
Remove TRIPS+ demands from the EFTA-Malaysia Free-Trade Agreement
25-Jun-2025 Alliance Sud
The undersigned Swiss NGOs are urging the Swiss government to actively engage within EFTA to drop these provisions known as TRIPS+.
India-UK free trade deal likely to be inked by July-end; commerce secretary in London to expedite process
25-Jun-2025 Live Mint
The free trade agreement between India and the UK is expected to be signed by July-end, following three years of on-and-off negotiations. The deal will eliminate tariffs on labour-intensive goods and reduce costs on imports like whisky and cars from the UK.
S. Korea, China hold 12th round of follow-up negotiations to expand FTA
25-Jun-2025 Yonhap News Agency
South Korea and China have kicked off a fresh round of follow-up negotiations aimed at expanding their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) to include services and investment.
Malaysia signs free trade pact with Norway, Iceland and other EFTA countries
25-Jun-2025 ScandAsia
Malaysia has signed a wide-ranging economic partnership agreement with the four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA): Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
EU launches €6m project to hasten ethiopian AfCFTA participation
24-Jun-2025 The reporter
The European Union has launched a six million Euro project geared towards kickstarting Ethiopia’s belated participation in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Mali signs trade deal with Russia as ties strengthen
24-Jun-2025 BBC
Mali and Russia have signed a series of agreements aimed at expanding mutual trade and strengthening economic ties.
Ethiopia conducts last validation workshop on implementation of AfCFTA
24-Jun-2025 ENA
The last validation workshop of Ethiopia’s African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation Strategy was conducted today with a view to finalizing the roadmap for the country’s engagement with the free trade area.
Statement on the voices of Thai civil society regarding the free trade agreement between Thailand and the European Union
24-Jun-2025 FTA Watch
Thai civil society organizations expressing serious concerns about the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between Thailand and the European Union (EU), highlight potential negative impacts on agriculture, food security, environment, labor rights, public health, and other social issues.
Trading away tax sovereignty? How trade rules shape taxation of the digital economy in Africa
24-Jun-2025 Journal of International Economic Law
The advent of digital and data-driven business models has heightened the risks of tax base erosion and evasion, adversely affecting revenue generation, economic recovery, and advancement of tax justice in African economies. We develop a framework examining how trade rules on services, electronic transmissions, and digital products shape the ability of African countries to tax their digital economies.
No digital justice without fiscal justice
24-Jun-2025 Global Digital Justice Forum
An international digital trade regime should respect and enable the fiscal sovereignty of all countries, including the right to tax cross-border digital services.
India seeks fairer ASEAN FTA terms amid trade deficit, flags asymmetry in tariff openings
24-Jun-2025 CNBC TV18
With nine rounds of renegotiation already having taken place for the ASEAN FTA review, sources pointed out that all offensive and defensive interests of the industry are being taken into account for FTAs with complementary economies.