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E-Commerce protocol incorporated into AfCFTA phase III
21-Apr-2020 Ghana Web
The acceptance of the e-commerce protocol came about during the 33rd AU Ordinary Session recently held in Ethiopia.
US factories in Mexico are still open. As the coronavirus spreads, workers are dying
21-Apr-2020 Los Angeles Times
Maquiladoras which avoid most tariffs because their finished products are for export only, have boomed since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.
Virus-hit Brexit talks resume with time for a deal running out
21-Apr-2020 Bloomberg
Negotiations slowed by pandemic, but U.K. won’t move end-date. Officials will use video conference for discussions all week.
Trump threatens China as trade deal quietly crumbles
21-Apr-2020 CNN
As Donald Trump ups the pressure on China regarding coronavirus, the hard-fought trade deal between the two countries is falling by the wayside.
Despite controversy, the Energy Charter Treaty is silently being pushed into Africa
21-Apr-2020 Euractiv
Joining the Energy Charter Treaty could cost developing countries money that is urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis.
Pandemic profiteers: how foreign investors could make billions from crisis measures
20-Apr-2020 TNI
Governments’ emergency actions in the wake of COVID-19 could prompt a wave of arbitration lawsuits for billions of dollars by multinational corporations and investment lawyers.
China moves to keep EU investment talks on track
20-Apr-2020 South China Morning Post
The two sides have been making slow progress, but vice-premier Liu He’s phone conversation with his European counterparts is seen as an attempt by Beijing to refocus attention on the matter.
FTA partners continue to buy more than half of US grains
20-Apr-2020 Feedstuffs
FTA partners purchased 55% of total US grains in all forms exports in 2018-19 marketing year.
RCEP partners press ahead with legal tweaks
20-Apr-2020 Bangkok Post
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) dialogue partners are advancing the review of legal texts, expecting the process to finish in July so the pact can be signed later in the year during the Asean Summit as scheduled.
Vietnam’s Parliament to ratify FTA with EU in May
20-Apr-2020 Prensa Latina
The National Assembly of Vietnam will consider and most likely ratify the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (Evfta) when it holds its 7th Session next month.
Peru warned of potential ICSID claims over covid-19 measures
17-Apr-2020 Latin Lawyer
Peruvian officials have warned that a proposed emergency measure suspending the collection of toll fees on the country’s road network in response to the outbreak of covid-19 could result in multiple ICSID claims.
Crimes against Human Rights and the renegotiation of the free trade agreement Chile-EU
17-Apr-2020 Chile Mejor sin TLC
As is the case in all of the treaties, the parts that are not directly related to trade are non-binding, as the chapter on human rights is.
Britain, Ukraine to sign new deal on free trade, strategic partnership
17-Apr-2020 Kyiv Post
Despite the coronavirus crisis, work on the agreement document continues, and is expected it to be finished soon, said Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Protecting against investor–state claims amidst COVID-19: A call to action for governments
16-Apr-2020 IISD
Governments are facing an imminent threat of investor–state arbitration as they take difficult decisions to support public health systems in a time of severe economic stress.
Postpone July 1 trading date of AfCFTA ― CUTS advises African Union
16-Apr-2020 Modern Ghana
A leading research and public policy think tank is calling on the African Union to defer, the July 1st date for the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Nigeria and the implementation of the AfCFTA: Key issues and policy options
16-Apr-2020 Premium Times
Nigeria’s trade and industrial priorities should be embedded in the ongoing dialogue for AfCFTA implementation strategies.
UK and EU agree three negotiating rounds for post-Brexit deal
16-Apr-2020 Reuters
The negotiations will take place by videoconference in the weeks beginning April 20, May 11 and June 1, 2020.
Silent expansion
15-Apr-2020 CEO
Many countries, particularly in the global south, are in the process of joining the Energy Charter Treaty despite the sweeping powers it grants to foreign investors.
Virus pandemic may force Japan to give up RCEP agreement in 2020
15-Apr-2020 Kyodo News
With the new coronavirus pandemic hindering the progress of talks for the world’s biggest free trade pact involving 16 Asia-Pacific countries, Japan may be forced to give up reaching the deal this year in the face of domestic opposition.
Putting an end to the EU’s neo-colonial policies in the field of trade and investment
14-Apr-2020 CADTM
The destructive effects of these free trade agreements signed with the EU are already clearly visible in the majority of countries of the South.