bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

Articles by language

English
Tagalog
Nobel Economist Stiglitz criticises EPA
10-Jul-2008 GNA
Professor Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate in Economics, on Tuesday urged the government of Ghana to "take a cold hard look" at the Economic Partnership Agreement and negotiate its inimical aspects away, saying that the deal was not free but an extremely managed trade agreement.
Stop the EU taking the Caribbean for a ride
10-Jul-2008 Caribbean Net News
It has become patently evident that the European Union is taking the Caribbean for a ride over the Economic Partnership Agreement initialled last December. The Caribbean has to stop the ride and renegotiate the deeply troubling aspects of the EPA before any signing takes place.
Youth group slams crackdown on protesters at G8
9-Jul-2008 GMANews
Militant Filipino youths scored Tuesday what they called the repression against protesters at the G-8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan, and demanded the release of the arrested protesters. In a letter to Japanese ambassador Makoto Katsura dated July 8, the youths also reiterated their opposition to the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
SKorea, Gulf states agree to forge free trade deal next year
9-Jul-2008 AFP
South Korea and six Gulf states agreed Wednesday to forge a free trade deal by the end of next year, a chief negotiator from the Seoul side said.
Wiroon: Thai-Indian FTA set to expand
9-Jul-2008 Bangkok Post
Thailand hopes to ratify a full free-trade agreement with India within this year if the political situations in the two countries don’t change, according to Deputy Commerce Minister Wiroon Techapaiboon.
Intellectual property in the EPA: broad scope, huge impact - Part 1
9-Jul-2008 Jamaica Observer
The historic Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) skilfully brokered last December between the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) and the European Community (EC) is impressively wide in its scope, but the impact of its implementation in countries such as Jamaica is still largely unexplored.
Costa Rica: EU not interested in free-trade agreement
9-Jul-2008 Tico Times
Costa Rican officials announced they are not satisfied with the market opening proposal issued by the European Union (EU) prior to the beginning of the fourth round of negotiations for an eventual EU-Central America agreement. Costa Rican trade officials stated that they “do not perceive an interest on the part of the Europeans to advance the process.”
Free trade’s false promises
9-Jul-2008 The Guardian
According to new estimates by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America, the US-Colombia free trade agreement will actually make Colombia worse off by up to $75m or one-tenth of 1% of its GDP.
Peru farmers block roads, Machu Picchu rail
9-Jul-2008 Reuters
Peruvian farmers angry at President Alan Garcia’s free-trade policies began a two-day strike on Tuesday, snarling traffic in the country’s interior and closing rail service to the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu.
Intellectual property in the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement
8-Jul-2008 CIEL
Written by Luis Alonso Garcia, former head negotiator for Peru for the Intellectual Property Chapter of the FTA with the United States, this paper examines the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement as an example of the challenges and opportunities, especially for civil society participation, presented by such negotiations.
APE : Un rapport qui conforte les frondeurs
8-Jul-2008 LeFasoNet
Taubira dénonce sans détour le libéralisme tous azimuts dont les APE sont un des reflets. Pour elle, la politique économique européenne a rendu l’Afrique dépendante et les APE, dans leur formule actuelle, ne feront que perpétuer ces rapports inégaux. Si ce discours fait l’affaire de ceux qui se montrent sceptiques vis-à-vis de la nouvelle relation économique que l’Europe veut instaurer avec l’Afrique, il embarrasse à bien des égards Nicolas Sarkozy, le commanditaire du rapport.
Vaste mobilisation sud-coréenne
8-Jul-2008 L’Humanité
Le lien entre « la crise du boeuf » et les accords de libre-échange est évident. « À travers l’un, nous luttons contre l’autre, explique-t-on. Même si c’est un lien que ne font pas tous ceux qui descendent dans la rue aujourd’hui. Notre mouvement exige la rectification des accords conclus en avril de l’an dernier. Ceux-ci concernent durablement la vie de tous les citoyens, les paysans en premier lieu. »
Chile-Uruguay sign strategic association; rap EU on migration
8-Jul-2008 MercoPress
The Strategic Association Agreement signed by both countries promotes trade relations and cooperation in foreign affairs regarding shared principles in areas such as global trade, UN security policies and human rights.
Ecowas: EU policy supersedes Ghana’s interim EPA deal
8-Jul-2008 Myjoyonline
Ghana would by September next year cease to adhere to the rules and conditions of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement that it signed with the European Commission in December 2007 when the ECOWAS-EU policy comes into force.
Why Nigeria refused to sign EPA - ECOWAS
8-Jul-2008 Leadership Nigeria
The ECOWAS Trade Commissioner, Mohammed Daramy, has given some of the many reasons why Nigeria refused to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which deadline expired on December 31, 2007.
Amendments to CAFTA trade deal passed
8-Jul-2008 Guanacaste Journal
The long and arduous road toward final approval by Costa Rica of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States has suffered yet another delay.
S. Korea, India agree to speed up free trade talks
8-Jul-2008 Yonhap
South Korea and India have held five rounds of CEPA (comprehensive economic partnership agreement) negotiations thus far, but the pact — which is similar to a free trade agreement — has yet to be concluded due to remaining disputes over rules of origin, services and agricultural trade.
Gilani: Malaysia and Pakistan should exploit huge consumer base via FTA
7-Jul-2008 NST
Malaysia and Pakistan should exploit their huge consumer market through a free trade agreement (FTA) to support each other’s industrial growth, Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said.
CAWN action against EU-Central America FTA
7-Jul-2008 CAWN
Urgent action is needed to strengthen democratic scrutiny of the negotiations and ensure that the Association Agreement with Europe doesn’t worsen poverty, gender inequality and violations of women’s rights in Central America.
SKorean activists prepare ’million-strong’ US beef rallies
5-Jul-2008 AFP
South Korean activists Saturday promised to draw one million protesters nationwide in the biggest anti-US beef rallies so far