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EU hails EAC over trade deals
23-Apr-2008
The European Union has commended the East African Community for striking "a good deal,"following the initialling of an interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) at the end of last year.
Civil society groups call for establishment of Commission on Globalisation
23-Apr-2008
Civil society groups have called for the establishment of a new Commission on Globalisation and Development Strategies within the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Minister: New Zealand-ASEAN free trade deal close
23-Apr-2008
New Zealand Trade Minister Phil Goff said on Wednesday that free trade talks with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may be finished by June.
FTA with China not a priority: Govt.
23-Apr-2008
The government on Wednesday said a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China was not a "priority" for India due to "deep divisions" within the government and opposition from the industry.
Lee urges parliament to approve KORUS FTA in May
22-Apr-2008
President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday (Apr. 22) renewed his calls for the parliament to convene a special session during May to ratify the long-delayed Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (KORUS FTA).
Dominican Government sacrificed RD$2.3B with Free Trade
22-Apr-2008
Figures from the Customs Agency (DGA) show Dominican Government has sacrificed RD$2.3 billion since the United States-Central America Free Trade Agreement began.
Overhauling free trade deals a must: Report
22-Apr-2008
The EU will do irrevocable damage to the development prospects of some of the smallest and poorest countries in the world unless it overhauls free trade deals due to be finalised this year, Oxfam said in a report yesterday.
Chile moots FTA, India apprehensive
22-Apr-2008
Chile on Tuesday offered a platform for India to access Latin American markets but New Delhi appeared not forthcoming on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Senate ‘okays’ JPEPA but sets stiff conditions
22-Apr-2008 PDI
Saying her committee had done a “technical makeover” of the proposed treaty, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago Monday formally recommended that the Senate give its “conditional concurrence” to the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Rudd may give China investment rights
21-Apr-2008
The Rudd government is considering giving cashed-up Chinese companies the same investment rights enjoyed by the US in a bid to revitalise free-trade talks.
Spain extending its reach into Africa
21-Apr-2008 IPS
Spain has expanded its presence in Africa by recently signing trade agreements with Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The agreement with Egypt includes regular bilateral summits similar to Spain’s annual meetings with Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Both agreements will facilitate the entry of more Spanish companies into Africa.
S Korean farmers accuse Govt of ’selling out’ to US beef
21-Apr-2008 Trading Markets
South Korean farmers and civic groups on Friday accused the government of surrendering to US pressure in rewriting Seoul’s beef import rules. Groups including the Hanwoo Association, the Korea Dairy Beef Farmers Association and the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation said negotiators gave up the right to protect South Koreans from the health risks of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, more commonly called mad cow disease.
Santiago, Roxas seek conditions on JPEPA
21-Apr-2008
Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Manuel Roxas II on Monday endorsed the approval of the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) — but only on certain conditions.
New Zealand to hold free trade talks with Japan, South Korea next month
21-Apr-2008 IHT
Prime Minister Helen Clark said Monday she will hold exploratory free trade talks in Japan and South Korea next month — only weeks after securing a comprehensive free trade agreement with China.
’Unity swim’ staged vs JPEPA
21-Apr-2008 Inquirer
Protest rallies are common these days in the Philippines, but on Monday, militants staged a different kind of protest as they engaged in a "unity swim" at Manila Bay against the passage of the controversial trade agreement between the Philippines and Japan.
US election looms over North American summit
21-Apr-2008 Reuters
With the US election looming over their annual summit, North American leaders gather in New Orleans this week for what is expected to be a largely symbolic meeting overshadowed by questions about free trade.
A temporary victory: Colombian unions campaign against FTA
21-Apr-2008 Workers World
The postponement of a vote in the US Congress is just a temporary victory for Colombian workers, due primarily to the hard work of many Colombian trade unionists who have risked their lives visiting the United States to expose the crimes and violence against union leaders in their country.
Beef exports to South Korea may suffer
21-Apr-2008 SMH
Soaring Australian beef exports to the lucrative South Korean market could suffer after South Korea lifted restrictions on US imports.
South Korea, Japan fail to agree on free-trade talks
21-Apr-2008 Bloomberg
South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda failed to agree on resuming negotiations for a free-trade agreement when they met today in Tokyo for their first official summit.
EPA - could have dire consequences
21-Apr-2008 Jamaica Observer
Anyone could be forgiven for wanting to fall asleep whenever the new Economic Partnership Agreement between Europe and the Caribbean comes into the conversation. The language is so complex and dry that only professional diplomats can understand it. (And even some of them are pretending). But the Caribbean needs to pay attention, because the economic consequences of this new agreement are heading towards it like an express train with potentially catastrophic consequences.