bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

Eastern promises
7-Sep-2009
When the Rubber Bill (intended to amend the Rubber Act, 1947) was presented in Parliament on August 7, the Opposition did not let it through. The reason was, it was presented by Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state for parliamentary affairs, and not any minister of commerce and industry, which is the ministry concerned.
ICSID rejects Turkish Co $756m claim against Pak
7-Sep-2009
An arbitral tribunal appointed by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (lCSID) of the World Bank hearing a claim brought by a Turkish investor against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has rejected all claims for breach of a bilateral investment treaty between the two countries.
Development coherence in trade governance: Key to the rebuilding of the global economy
7-Sep-2009
The global crisis has one positive and liberating aspect—policymakers and even once-arrogant neoliberal economists are now openly questioning the wisdom of untrammeled liberalization. The present global recession has abundantly shown that liberalizing the financial and other economic sectors wholesale sans rules is a formula for disaster, be it applied in a developed market economy like the United States or in a small developing economy like Haiti.
Learning from ALBA and the Bank of the South: Challenges and Possibilities
7-Sep-2009 Monthly Review
Although the crisis is indeed delegitimizing capitalism as an engine of “progress,” the weakening global economy is greatly complicating, if not weakening, efforts to advance ALBA as well as the Bank of the South.
EPAs: Digging our own Grave
6-Sep-2009
It is saddening that Zimbabwe is going ahead in signing the interim and full Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union (EU) at the expense of its citizens, small-scale farmers and industries. The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Professor Welshman Ncube stated that cabinet had agreed to sign the interim EPAs that will run until December 2010 adding that full EPAs would be signed by end of December 2010.
EU seeks to settle trade row with India amicably
6-Sep-2009
The European Union on Friday said it would prefer to resolve two commercial disputes with India without engaging in a legal battle at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The first dispute involves seizure of Indian generic drugs in transit at some EU-based ports, including Amsterdam, which were bound for certain third world countries, on the grounds of patents infringement.
Free trade deals to push up cost of medicines
6-Sep-2009
The bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) India is negotiating with Japan and the European Union (EU) can lead to a sharp rise in the cost of medicines, a network of civil society groups has warned.
Potato fight
5-Sep-2009 Al-Ahram Weekly
A couple of weeks ago, following the discovery of some cases of brown rot, the EU decided to impose a ban on Egyptian potato exports. The Egyptian government believes that the reason behind the move is to protect local European produce from competition.
Will new trade agreements reduce dependence on US?
4-Sep-2009 Final Call
Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Felipe Calderón of Mexico agreed recently to explore the possibility of a free trade agreement as part of a strategy to reduce their dependence on the industrialized world.
Jordan, Iraq sign free-trade agreement
4-Sep-2009 Earth Times
Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi made a whirlwind visit Thursday to Baghdad, signing a free-trade agreement that Jordan hoped would serve as a catalyst for boosting trade with neighbouring Iraq
Asian trade: The noodle bowl
4-Sep-2009 The Economist
Why trade agreements are all the rage in Asia
Trade agreements: Doing Doha down
4-Sep-2009 The Economist
Regional trade deals are no substitute for a Doha agreement. Indeed, they are its enemy, writes The Economist
Japanese-Swiss FTA takes effect
3-Sep-2009
A free-trade agreement between Japan and Switzerland came into force Tuesday as the two countries aim to liberalize more than 99 percent of their trade in goods in 10 years.
S. Korea, Colombia to start FTA talks this year
3-Sep-2009
South Korea and Colombia agreed Thursday to begin talks on a free trade agreement (FTA) within the year, Seoul’s foreign ministry said after a meeting between their foreign ministers here.
Human rights campaign sues European Union over continued economic ties with Israelis
3-Sep-2009 PNN
The European Campaign to Lift the Siege on Gaza, in cooperation with European institutions and individuals, has filed a lawsuit against the European Union to force the EU to end its economic partnership agreement with the Israelis.
Trade deficit surges 4-fold after FTA with EFTA nations
3-Sep-2009 Korea Times
Korea’s trade deficit with a four-European nation economic block has surged by four-fold since the signing of a free trade agreement three years ago, with its imports growing at a much faster pace than exports.
Canned tuna may be included in ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement
3-Sep-2009 MindaNews
The European Union is reportedly open to negotiations for the possible lowering of tariffs or even granting duty-free treatment for canned tuna exports from the Philippines and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations under a proposed free trade agreement with the 10-nation regional bloc.
US may use trade deal with Malaysia as model: MIER
3-Sep-2009 Business Times
The US is keen to sign a free trade agreement with Malaysia and to use it as a role model for the world’s largest economy to sign similar agreements with other Muslim countries, says the executive director of the Malaysia Institute of Economic Research
Global Turn Around!
2-Sep-2009 OWINFS
Sign-on statement from the Our World Is Not For Sale network
Falling out and falling apart?
2-Sep-2009 IPS
The June coup d’état in Honduras was a body blow to political integration in Central America. The old idea of a protected and privileged trade area does not make any sense now in the light of globalisation, "so the concept of open integration was adopted. But that needed to be translated into concrete terms and this was not done."