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Green NGOs demand EU dumps controversial energy treaty
14-Jul-2020 EU Observer
Green groups have renewed their demand for the EU and member states to jointly withdraw from the controversial Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).
India attacks EU’s unfair trade deals which are killing major industry
14-Jul-2020 Express
India has blasted the EU and Vietnam for ratifying a free trade agreement that would be "another blow" to Indian businesses.
Lawyers file suit at EAC court to block Kenya- US trade deal
13-Jul-2020 The Standard
Kenya’s free trade deal with the US has been challenged before the East Africa Court of Justice days after the two countries opened negotiations on duty-free imports.
UK aims to strike trade deal with Japan by end of July
13-Jul-2020 Japan Today
The British government is aiming to reach a trade deal with Japan "around the end of this month," according to London’s chief negotiator with Tokyo.
EU ombudsman opened an inquiry into the EU/Mercosur sustainability impact assessment
13-Jul-2020 MercoPress
European Ombudsman has opened an inquiry into why the European Commission did not finalize an updated Sustainability Impact Assessment before the conclusion of the Mercosur-EU trade agreement in June 2019.
A Canadian mining company is threatening to sue Mexico to avoid paying taxes... and is asking Canada to help them do it
13-Jul-2020 Council of Canadians
Already, Mexico’s progressive reforms have made it an ISDS target. First Majestic, a Canadian silver mining company has been threatening Mexico for the last few years, under NAFTA’s Chapter 11.
Will the new NAFTA make the pandemic worse for Mexicans?
13-Jul-2020 Foreign Policy in Focus
For Mexican workers, farmers, and the poor, the pandemic and the new treaty replacing NAFTA are a devastating one-two punch.
Australia keen on penning RCEP trade pact this year despite disputes with China
13-Jul-2020 South China Morning Post
Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement despite rising political tensions with China.
Cambodia to sign FTA with China to boost agro exports, potentially offset EBA losses
13-Jul-2020 VOA Cambodia
Prime Minister Hun Sen is scheduled to be in Beijing on August 12 to sign a free trade agreement with his Chinese counterpart.
India and US are ‘nearer to a smaller’ trade deal than ever before, says envoy Sandhu
13-Jul-2020 The Print
India said both New Delhi and Washington are now “nearer” to a smaller trade deal than ever before as the US believes a free trade agreement (FTA) is possible even as India has walked out the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
China’s interest in trans-Pacific trade deal met with scepticism by those who helped negotiate it
13-Jul-2020 South China Morning Post
A series of high profile officials in Beijing have recently voiced openness about China joining a trans-Pacific trade pact abandoned by the United States in one of the first acts of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Barrick Gold sends dispute notice to Papua New Guinea over Porgera mine
10-Jul-2020 Reuters
Canadian miner Barrick Gold Corp said it served a dispute notice to the Papua New Guinea government over the country’s refusal to extend a mining lease in the Porgera valley.
India-EU Summit slated for 15 July after over two-year break, to be held virtually
10-Jul-2020 The Print
Bilateral trade and investment ties between India and the EU have become severely strained with the Modi government’s initial refusal to resume stalled negotiations on the proposed India-EU free trade agreement .
Brexit free trade deal ‘very close’ – UK finalising comprehensive agreement with Turkey
10-Jul-2020 Express
Turkey is "very close" to signing a post-Brexit free trade agreement with the UK covering manufactured goods, agriculture and services, the country’s Foreign Minister has revealed.
USTR Lighthizer says bilateral trade pacts conflict with multilateral trading system
10-Jul-2020 Reuters
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the world needed either a multilateral system to govern global trade or a series of bilateral agreements, but the two were in conflict with each other.
Step up ‘no deal’ planning, Barnier warns EU firms
10-Jul-2020 Euractiv
The EU’s chief negotiator on future relations with the UK warned EU businesses to step up their planning for a ‘no deal’ scenario when the UK leaves the Single Market at the end of 2020.
Nigeria can’t survive AfCFTA with weak industrialisation – Gbajabiamila
10-Jul-2020 Punch
For Nigeria to compete and survive in the African Continental Free Trade Area, it must as a matter of national emergency ramp up industrialisation and manufacturing activities, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said.
The obscure treaty that could kill a global green recovery
9-Jul-2020 The New Republic
The Energy Charter Treaty, with 53 signatories, allows energy companies to sue states that make their business unprofitable.
Corporations to sue states for pandemic billions
9-Jul-2020 The Ecologist
Corporations are busy weaponising obscure legal instruments to sue government for their actions to save lives and jobs during the coronavirus crisis.
What do FTAs mean for African women? A critical look into the African Continental Free Trade Area
9-Jul-2020 GRAIN
What does this trade deal mean for African women and their role in the continent’s food production and trade?