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Santiago defers sponsorship of JPEPA
29-Apr-2008 Inquirer
It’s back to the negotiating table for the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) after Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Monday agreed to defer consideration of the treaty on the request of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.
US favours Nafta-type investment pact with India
28-Apr-2008
The US wants to include labour and environment standards in the proposed bilateral investment agreement with India. While India wants to structure the pact on the lines of similar agreements that it has with other nations, the US wants to structure it on the lines of the investment chapter in the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).
Japan Diet pressures RP Senate to ratify Jpepa - group
28-Apr-2008
Anti-Jpepa (Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement) activists on Tuesday accused the Japanese Diet of pressuring the Philippine Senate to ratify the controversial RP-Japan economic pact.
EU ponders next move on trade deals
28-Apr-2008
The European Union is contemplating the way forward following the reluctance of the majority of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to sign the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) they have been negotiating, five months after the expiry of the December 31 deadline set by the World Trade Organisation.
EU waiting for India’s submission of list on FTA
28-Apr-2008
The European Union is waiting for India to submit the list of items that will be covered under the proposed Free Trade Agreement between the two trading partners, a EU official said today.
Tuvalu ratifies Pacific trade agreement
28-Apr-2008 Radio Australia
Tuvalu has become the 11th Pacific Forum Country to ratify the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA).
US trade expert finds fishhooks in FTA
28-Apr-2008 Scoop
While media coverage of the China-NZ Free Trade Agreement has focused almost entirely on the possible dollar gains, scant attention has been paid to the equally valid exposure of New Zealand to compensation claims — should any NZ government be so bold in future as to pass laws or regulations that a foreign investor feels will impact on profitability.
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.