bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

Bullying big pharma puts pressure on Australians
28-Aug-2004
US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick’s warning to Australia that an amended free-trade agreement might conflict with the letter and spirit of the original agreement was prompted by bullying from the American pharmaceuticals industry, according to a US trade adviser.
Farm tariffs, IPRs seen as main obstacles to US-Andean FTA
27-Aug-2004
Tariffs on agricultural products and definitions of intellectual property rights, particularly for pharmaceuticals, are shaping up as the most contentious issues in the free trade negotiations between the United States and three Andean nations, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
EU, Israel resolve trade dispute over settlements
27-Aug-2004 EU, Israel resolve trade dispute over settlements
Goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will no longer be allowed to enter the European Union tariff-free under an agreement initialed on Thursday.
Costa Rica: Protests bring country to the verge of paralysis
27-Aug-2004 Costa Rica: Protests bring country to the verge of paralysis
Nationwide protests in Costa Rica that started out with blockades of roads and freeways by truck drivers and which expanded Wednesday to include a broad range of groups threaten to paralyse this Central American country.
Premier Yu calls for more FTAs during NY stopover
26-Aug-2004
Premier Yu Shyi-kun encouraged local enterprises Saturday to invest in Central American countries that continue to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, saying this will help the government maintain the ties.
Infected by the bilateral bug
26-Aug-2004
On the long trek to a fairer world for New Zealand exporters, 2003 was a year of one step forward, two steps back.
A People’s Guide to PACER
25-Aug-2004
A People’s Guide to PACER by Prof Jane Kelsey. Commissioned by the Pacific Network on Globalisation - Aug 2004
A People’s Guide to PACER released
25-Aug-2004 A People’s Guide to PACER released
The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) has released a user-friendly report on the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) and the potential implications of a free trade agreement between Pacific island countries and Australia and New Zealand.
UK supermarket chain abandons 12M pounds sterling claim against Guyana
25-Aug-2004
The Big Food Group which owns the Iceland chain of food stores, has abandoned its more than 12M pounds sterling claim against Guyana for the nationalisation of the sugar industry 27 years ago.
The Bilateral Investment Treaty: Investment facilitator or host country albatross?
25-Aug-2004
Supermar-ket chain had abandoned its 12M pounds sterling claim against Guyana. The article stated that the Big Food Group which owns the Iceland Chain of food stores, had abandoned its more that 12M pound sterling chain against Guyana for the nationalisation in 1976 of the sugar industry then owned by Bookers.
Intellectual Property: We must not make any concession on medicines
24-Aug-2004
The Colombian Germán Velásquez says that it was unfair for the US to veto the Argentine advisor Carlos Correa. He claims that poor countries must continue to have access to cheap medicines even if there are trade treaties. His request is that the Doha agreement is respected.
Now I know my F-T-A-s
24-Aug-2004 Now I know my F-T-A-s
The Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States - AUSFTA - may be all the rage for us, but for Americans (that is, those citizens residing in the American hemisphere as a whole, not just the USA) they have been getting used to all sorts of free trade agreements.
China-ASEAN agro trade on fast track
24-Aug-2004 China-ASEAN agro trade on fast track
The trade of agricultural produce between China and her ASEAN neighbours has benefitted from an early-harvest programme that was put in place earlier this year.
India: Safeguards in FTAs sought
24-Aug-2004 Safeguards in FTAs sought
India must incorporate special provisions for the chemical, petrochemical and textile sectors in its free trade agreements (FTAs) with other countries as a steady decline in tariffs in these sectors is exposing domestic players to unfair competition, says a draft report on FTAs prepared by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
KL and Seoul to study possibility of free trade pact
24-Aug-2004 KL and Seoul to study possibility of free trade pact
Visiting Malaysian Premier also discusses North Korea, education, tourism and business with South Korean leader.
Thais lift ban on GMO planting, will regulate trials
24-Aug-2004
Thailand has lifted a three-year ban on planting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by allowing the crops to grow in open-field trials with non-GMO plants.
Korea to Start FTA Talks With EFTA
23-Aug-2004
South Korea and the four-member European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are expected to begin talks for a free trade agreement (FTA) from early next year, according to a top government official.
POLICY REVERSAL: Green light for GMOs
22-Aug-2004 POLICY REVERSAL: Green light for GMOs
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday bestowed the government’s tacit blessing on the planting and trading of genetically modified (GM) crops by revoking an earlier ban on their commercial use, in defiance of wide opposition from farmers, environmentalists and consumer networks.
Peru-Thailand FTA on course
20-Aug-2004 Peru FTA on course
Peru’s Vice Minister of Foreign Trade Pablo de la Flor was in Bangkok earlier this week for the third round of free-trade agreement talks between Thailand and Peru.
End Days to Cheap Drugs With U.S. Trade Deal
19-Aug-2004
Australia’s ratification of a free trade agreement with the United States has sparked warnings that it represents a major win for the U.S. drug industry in blocking generic manufacturers and undermining the country’s internationally acclaimed system for lowering pharmaceutical prices.