bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

Senate urged to reject proposed concurrence to Manila-Tokyo trade deal
28-Apr-2008 GMA News
Sectors from the urban poor, farmers, nurses, fisherfolk, labor and the environment gathered at a press conference on Saturday, calling on the Philippine Senate to reject the conditional concurrence resolution that Senator Miriam Santiago unveiled during her privilege speech at the Senate re-opening early last week.
GCC, EFTA in agreement over free trade
27-Apr-2008 Arab Times
Negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) have been finalized, said Secretary General of the GCC Abdulrahaman Al-Atiyya on Saturday, after five rounds of talks.
WTO can’t adjudicate on EPA’s - Lamy
26-Apr-2008
Director-General of the World Trade Organisation has said that the world trading body would not legislate on the current bilateral free trade negotiations between the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the European Commission.
Feds Defend Trade Pacts
26-Apr-2008
Federal officials and business leaders this week dismissed calls by the Democratic presidential candidates to renegotiate NAFTA, saying free trade deals help American small businesses and the U.S. economy grow.
DFA asks Senate to defer vote on JPEPA
25-Apr-2008 ABS-CBN
The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has asked the Senate to defer consideration of the controversial free trade agreement between the Philippines and Japan so that it can comply with the conditions set by the Senate for its ratification.
GCC-India FTA talks ‘on track’
25-Apr-2008
Discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are expected to make a substantial progress with in a year, according to Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath.
US seeks power in Asia via FTA with Korea
25-Apr-2008
The United States is seeking to prevent Asian countries from pushing for closer economic cooperation while excluding Washington, a senior U.S. government official suggested Thursday.
Resistance to UPOV and the privatisation of life in Costa Rica
25-Apr-2008
Interview with Silvia Rodríguez Cervantes of Costa Rica’s Biodiversity Coordination Network about the national struggle against joining UPOV (Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties) as required by CAFTA.
Africa leaders must unite against EPA agreements
25-Apr-2008 Statesman
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa, Rob Davies, has called on African leaders to ignore the Economic Partnership Agreement proposed by the European Commission since the continent is presently not ready for it.
Little progress in EU-Central America FTA talks
25-Apr-2008 ICTSD
A third round of free trade agreement negotiations between the European Union and Central America concluded last week with little progress on the thorniest issues, though officials said that they better understood each other’s interests and positions,
Conflicting views over EPAs in French government
24-Apr-2008
As it prepares to assume the presidency of the European Union in July one of the main issues on France’s agenda will be the economic partnership agreements (EPAs). But with less than three months to go, France’s official position concerning EPAs is still surprisingly unclear.
Talks on India-GCC FTA to move forward this year: Nath
24-Apr-2008
India today said talks on the free trade agreement between India and Gulf Cooperation Council are likely to move forward this year.
NAFTA prohibits collective bargaining in North Carolina
24-Apr-2008 CIMAC
Male and female workers in North Carolina, USA, request the right to freedom of association to carry out collective bargaining and to choose their representatives in every work centre.
Guatemala accused in CAFTA labor complaint
24-Apr-2008 LA Times
Guatemalan and US labor groups filed a complaint Wednesday with the US Department of Labor alleging that Guatemala had failed to uphold its own labor laws as required under the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Indonesia hindering Asean FTA
24-Apr-2008 Economic Times
Indonesia has turned out to be the surprise sore point in the proposed India-Asean free trade agreement (FTA) that was scheduled to be in place last month. Jakarta’s insistence on offering lower market access to India than other Asean members has held up the pact.
Business heads seek better environment for Japan-S. Korea FTA talks
23-Apr-2008 MCOT
Business leaders from Japan and South Korea on Monday asked their governments to create a favorable environment for the two neighboring countries to restart negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement.
S. Korea and Japan to resume free trade talks
23-Apr-2008 Hankyoreh
Wrangling over agricultural and auto-parts market opening likely to continue
Australia to gain $US22 billion from FTA with Korea
23-Apr-2008 Farm Online
Federal Trade Minister, Simon Crean, has welcomed the key findings of a non-government study into the feasibility of a free trade agreement between Australia and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Chile extends a warm hand, offers FTA with India
23-Apr-2008 Indian Express
Even as the Brazilian Parliament is yet to ratify the India-Mercusor Preferential Trade Agreement signed by its President Lula in 2004, another South American country, Chile, has thrown a surprise on Tuesday, suggesting that it was willing to upgrade its Preferential Trade Agreement with India, signed in 2006, to the level of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
India to provide textiles’ duty free market for SAFTA
23-Apr-2008
India will provide duty reduction to the Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) member countries ranging from zero to five percent within ten years, said Minister of State for Textiles, E V K S Elangovan today.