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Ghana is ill prepared for EPA - Study
3-Jun-2006 GNA
Empirical studies conducted on the impact of the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on Ghana has shown that the country is ill prepared and would face detrimental effects if it decides to join now.
Bilateral free trade and investment agreements and the US corporate biotech agenda
3-Jun-2006
Bilateral free trade agreements are seen by the agricultural biotechnology industry as an important conduit for spreading genetically modified organisms (GMOs) around the world.
US-Southern Africa free trade pact seen unlikely
3-Jun-2006 Reuters
The United States and Southern African nations are unlikely to clinch a free trade agreement but will continue talks at a lower level, South Africa’s trade minister said.
Top Ecuador FTA negotiator resigns
2-Jun-2006 Upside Down World
More fall out from the Ecuador-Oxy clash: things went from bad to worse for Ecuador-US Free Trade negotiations when Ecuador’s Minister of Finance, Jorge Illingworth and his successor, Manuel Chiriboga both resigned.
Agreement comes down to the wire
2-Jun-2006 Embassy Magazine
The Canadian government is facing demands to disclose a draft free trade agreement with four Central American nations currently in the final stages of deliberation behind closed doors.
US FTA expected in 3 years
2-Jun-2006 Korea Times
Despite ups and downs in the negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the United States, the two countries are likely to reach a final agreement in two to three years, according to a report by the Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) Wednesday.
Free trade pact: Follow Chile’s lead
2-Jun-2006 donga.com
"I felt like I was negotiating with US interest groups, not with the US government," says Alicia Frohmann, one of Chile’s chief negotiators on the US-Chile FTA, to Korean negotiators.
CRS Report for Congress: The proposed South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUSFTA)
2-Jun-2006
The launching of the negotiations comes with a high degree of political risk for both South Korea and the United States. It comes as the US-South Korean alliance, while remaining very strong, has showed signs of fraying.
Bush sends 6, 000 soldiers to the Mexican border. Where will Europe send its soldiers when the EPAs are signed?
1-Jun-2006 abc Burkina
You may be asking yourself: " what is an EPA? " Well, you are not alone. In fact I have just met with a European Member of Parliament who is no more au courant than you. And that’s worrying!
South American Ministers vow to avoid TRIPS-plus measures
1-Jun-2006 TWN
The Ministers of Health of ten South American countries issued a joint declaration on intellectual property committing themselves to avoid "TRIPS plus" provisions in bilateral and regional trade agreements, to facilitate the use of compulsory licensing and parallel importing and to avoid broadening the scope of patentability and the extension of patentable areas.
Australia given signal of services fight
31-May-2006 The Standard
Beijing has told Canberra that opening access to China’s services industry will be the most difficult aspect in bilateral free-trade negotiations, according to an Australian official.
Explain benefits of FTA first, govt urged
30-May-2006 The Star
Kedah farmers have asked the government to explain the benefits that they could gain from the USA-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) before it proceeds with discussions scheduled to be held on June 12 in Penang.
Taiwan president urges US to consider free trade pact
30-May-2006 CNA
President Chen Shui-bian urged the US government Friday to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan, saying that an FTA would allow US agriculture and automobile exports to Taiwan to grow by 100 per cent.
S Korean activists promise peaceful protests against US FTA
30-May-2006 Yonhap
South Korean activists have pledged to hold peaceful protests against a proposed South Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) in Washington early next month. "We want to explain to American citizens why we oppose the FTA with the US."
Fiji seeks bilateral deals with Asian countries
29-May-2006 Radio New Zealand
Fiji is set to negotiate new bilateral economic partnership agreements with India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Bilateral, regional trade agreements on APEC agenda
29-May-2006 Thanh Nien News
The ongoing APEC senior official meeting (SOM II) will discuss Sunday existing and new policies for regional trading agreements and free trade agreements (RTA/FTA), reports from the APEC secretariat said.
China urges Korea to conclude free trade agreement
29-May-2006 Korea Herald
Beijing wants an FTA with Korea to alleviate its chronic trade deficit with its neighbor. Seoul is more reserved on the issue, since it could cause a surge in cheap agricultural produce and light industry goods.
FTA ’followed in letter and spirit’
29-May-2006 Gulf Daily News
The US government has confirmed that Bahrain is no longer part of an Arab boycott of Israeli products in line with its commitment to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Officials head to South America to initiate FTA talks
27-May-2006 Taipei Times
The first round of Taiwan’s free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with El Salvador and Honduras is expected to take place from Monday to Wednesday in Central America, officials with the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Thursday.
Tensions stall Japan/South Korea FTA
27-May-2006 Stuff.co.nz
Negotiations for a free trade pact between South Korea and Japan have been deadlocked for more than a year partly due to differences over how the two sides view their history, South Korea’s commerce minister said on Friday.