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Add human rights to FTA talks: EU
4-Mar-2009 Business Standard
A draft report prepared by Members of the European Parliament could potentially derail negotiations between India and the European Union on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement involving duty-free trade of goods, services and investment. The report calls for the inclusion of human rights and democracy issues in the CEPA talks and an international investigation into “extra judicial killings” in Jammu & Kashmir.
Koreans keep the free trade ball rolling
3-Mar-2009
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak put on an impressive show in Auckland yesterday as he talked tough about the necessity for world leaders not to fall prey to anti-protectionist forces.
France To Maintain Official Development Assistance To Ghana
3-Mar-2009
Despite the global financial turmoil, the government of France will continue to provide its official development assistance to Ghana.
Forum slams proposed ECFA
3-Mar-2009
Critics of the government yesterday told a forum that the government’s proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China was tantamount to a “one China market.”
Free trade deal should exclude shipbuilding, Stoffer says
3-Mar-2009
Peter Stoffer hopes to turn the tide on a controversial free trade agreement that could sink shipbuilding in Canada.
Trade unions set terms for EPA talks
3-Mar-2009
The East Africa Trade Union Congress (EATUC) has joined groups that want the deadline for the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) between the East Africa Community and the European Commission extended.
Law firms from FTA partners to open local offices
3-Mar-2009
The National Assembly passed a bill yesterday allowing law firms from the United States and countries that have free trade agreements with South Korea to set up local branches to provide legal consulting services.
Europe open to Thai trade talks
3-Mar-2009 Bangkok Post
The European Union is willing to begin bilateral free trade talks with Thailand in a process that would move together with existing Asean-EU talks, said Philippe Meyer, the directorate-general for trade at the European Commission. "It takes time for a region to behave like a region. So we need to go faster," he said.
EU takes "realist" tone with Colombia
2-Mar-2009 Washington Post
While some in the EU have voiced concern about Colombia’s human rights failures, Europe’s top politicians do not seem interested in linking this problem to the FTA.
Obama to push Panama accord, work on Colombia, Korea
2-Mar-2009 Bloomberg
President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress to approve a long-delayed free-trade agreement with Panama and work to resolve remaining issues with the South Korea and Colombia accords so they can be ratified.
Sustaining global solidarity after Gaza
2-Mar-2009 Palestine Chronicle
In South America, serious pressure is building against the Israel-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement (FTA), threatening to derail it entirely. South American social movements, who have years of experience fighting against free trade, have integrated Palestine solidarity into their general work.
Taiwan renames trade pact
2-Mar-2009 Straits Times
The four-letter acronym of a proposed trade pact has sparked such a storm in Taiwan that the government had to change its name.
Law professor criticises new FTA
2-Mar-2009 TVNZ
A new 12-member free trade agreement between New Zealand, Australia and the 10 ASEAN countries has not got everybody’s stamp of approval. The agreement has been welcomed by groups such as Federated Farmers of New Zealand. However, Auckland University law professor Jane Kelsey says negative aspects of the agreement are being ignored.
S Korea, EU to hold talks on inter-session FTA
2-Mar-2009 Xinhua
South Korea and the European Union (EU) will hold a high-level meeting in Brussels this week to settle controversial issues such as auto trade and rules of origin in their free trade negotiations
Australia-ASEAN-NZ FTA (2009)
1-Mar-2009
ASEAN to forge free trade deal with EU as a group
1-Mar-2009 AHN
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Sunday it prefers a region to region free trade agreement with the European Union more than bilateral pacts with member countries.
Could a sudden collapse of Mexico be Obama’s surprise foreign policy challenge?
1-Mar-2009 La Prensa San Diego
A year-end report by the Pentagon’s Joint Forces Command names two countries as likely candidates for a “rapid and sudden collapse” — Pakistan and Mexico. Arguably, NAFTA is to blame for what could be Mexico’s impending destabilization.
Majority oppose Chapter 11 of NAFTA
1-Mar-2009 Op-ed News
A recent binational poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians, found that the majority of Americans and Canadians oppose provisions found in Chapter 11 of NAFTA.
Jagdeo calls for freeze on EPA in light of global crisis
1-Mar-2009 Jamaica Observer
Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo believes there should be a delay in implementing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) trade deal with Europe because of challenges created by the global financial crisis.
EAC seeks trade in services with EU
1-Mar-2009 EABW
Business leaders from East Africa have commenced discussions on how best the five member states of East Africa can export services to European markets under the current Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations.