Ojala se de cumplimiento a este tratado, pues Canada no solo tiene inmensas posibilidades economicas para ofrecer a nuestros paises, sino tambien a todos los colombianos que buscamos nuevas opciones en el extranjero. Lastima que personas egoistas y faltas de logica comercial se queden con la pobre vision de un pais atrazado y "hambriento"en la busqueda de igualdades sociales que en la realidad no se cumplen y solo le ofrecen al pueblo mas miseria y pobreza por su falta de planeacion y estrategia, y por la opresion que sus mismos lideres hacen a sus gentes. Por favor, la pobreza es una condicion del hombre, por lo tanto es necesario ofrecerle oportunidades para la educacion y para mejorar su nivel de vida. Con buenos recursos y educacion las personas adquieren esperanza de vida y eso si las impulsa a mejorar. Unamonos por ofrecer a Colombia en este tiempo de bonanza, la oportunidad de crecer para el bienestar de la gente, y todo lo podremos hacer recibiendo y facilitando los beneficios de los paises mas ricos, todo esto nos beneficia a todos!
All comments
25-Jun-2010
22-Jun-2010
This article is very enlightening especially from perspective of Pakistan. Pakistan blindly concludes EHP and FTAs without taking into consideration as to how Pakistan can get maximum benefits of such deals. Examples of such FTA where Pakistan has not put in chapter for services agrrements is alomost all like with China, Malysia etc. Now we hear that Board of Investment of Pakistan will conclude FTAs of Pakistan . It means that FTAs will be more inclined to include investment chapters , but this is narrow view of FTAs and Pakistan should also always add chapter on services trade in all FTAS.
22-Jun-2010
It is strange that Government of Pakistan takes decision on adhoc basis. Now we hear that BOI will be responsible to conclude FTAs with other countries especially USA.
Previously ,it was Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan that used to conclude FTAs, further, the role of BOI is greater in BIT , but in FTAs the role of BOI is limited. As FTAs are not just investement treaties.
21-Jun-2010
no el T.L.C es bueno y uds. no piensa ni luchan x nosotros los campesino solo piensa en los grandes empresarios. y nosotros los pequeños ganaderos necesitamos ese tratado....
no sean tan insensibles con nosotros los pequeños productores de leche...
12-Jun-2010
The deal was not signed afterall, thanks to great resistance by civil society activists and all people concerned with equity and fairness in trade.
4-Jun-2010
Your article is an interesting, useful contribution to the debate on trade and development, in particular on Economic Partnership Agreements between groups of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the EU.
At the European Commission, we share point 5 in your article. We would be happy to give you more information on EPAs. You can also visit our website:
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/wider-agenda/development/economic-partnerships/
We believe a closer look would confirm that EPAs respond precisely to the claims and demands you make in points 1 to 4:
– They will create better conditions for investors, be they local or regional, and actually contribute to attracting international investors.
– They will not interfere with governments’ right to regulate investors and ensure they comply with the required standards.
– They will also help prevent a race to the bottom.
– They will help maintain high labour and environmental standards
You claim that EPAs in their current form are damaging to Africa’s future, and you advocate a five-point alternative development agenda which EPAs would need to reflect to benefit African countries.
Let me paraphrase four of your five points in turn and explain my concerns about each one.
1. "Domestic investment should receive more support. Better credit facilities, guarantees and government policies would attract this type of national or regional investment."
To try to distinguish between national and foreign investment in this way might in fact hinder efforts to improve transparency and economic governance. Governments should create the conditions for the private sector to flourish, both foreign and domestic.
Discrimination according to nationality, we contend, is not the best way to go.
2. "African governments should retain the right to regulate and control foreign investment, so as to discriminate in favour of investors that support African development."
This has been tried and often failed. Our concern about your first point applies to this second one too. The EU always supports its ACP partners to promote sustainable development, uphold environmental and human rights laws and standards,and avoid any sort of “race to the bottom", which has no winner.
Of course, governments retain the final authority to regulate foreign and domestic investment.
3. "European countries should commit to making their multinationals respect international labour and environmental standards, as well as domestic laws in host countries."
This is already enshrined in the CARIFORUM EPA, and the EU is consistently promoting such standards in its negotiations with other ACP regions. We hope that other developing countries will follow suit.
4. "African parliamentarians, stakeholders - particularly small and medium-sized African businesses - and civil society need to be better informed and involved in the current negotiations."
We cannot agree more. We do all we can to involve stakeholders, for instance through dialogue sessions with civil society groups and private sector seminars in ACP countries. In many cases, stakeholders take part in the negotiations themselves.
In any case, we are ready and willing to give you any further information you might want, and to continue this discussion to improve EPAs still further.
Regards
European Commission
Trade Directorate-General
Development and EPAs
30-May-2010
In a great debate both Korea and Peru have been concentrating on bilateral ties with Free Trade Agreements. I hope that both would benefited from the FTA.
30-May-2010
That is why the FTA level is sufficient. India has more unemployed persons than Sri Lanka. CEPA allows them to flood Sri Lanka making Sri Lanka’s unemployment and underemployment problems worse. Economic activity during the conflict period is no indication of the economic potential during peace time. With massive Chinese investments in the country and rapidly rising, without any attempt to make an equal unwarrented agreements like CEPA, it is inevitable Sri Lanka’s exports to China will grow many fold.
30-May-2010
India has worse problems than Sri Lanka and certainly a higher number of unemployed people. Although goods tranfer facilitated by previous agreements succeeded, this comprehensive agreement covers services too. That is certainly not warrented. This is an attempt to give employment to India’s unemployable.
29-May-2010
This is nothing but paranoia. Sri Lanka figures for GDP per capita are based on nominal figures. If you keep your currency stable through state intervention with inflation of 25% you can afford to keep the per capita high. Also, let us ask why Sri Lanka has to feed the refugee IDPs with aid from international community. The moment that stops nothing moves in Sri Lanka. All infrastructure projects are implemented on borrowed money. No government role at all in economic development.
Good luck to Sri Lanka for its future if this attitude stays and goes on!!
29-May-2010
The India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement has allowed the bilateral trade to grow 5 times in the last ten years. The bilateral trade turnover has grown from about US$ 600 million in 2000 to over US$ 3 billion in 2008. Sri Lankan exports to India have grown at double the pace than the rise in Indian exports to Sri Lanka. Even though Sri Lanka’s economy is roughly 1/40th of India, its exports to India today are 1/5th of India’s exports to Sri Lanka. Studies by independent observers have rated India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ILSFTA) as one of the very few successful South-South free trade agreements. The value of this impressive showing is further enhanced by the fact that this growth took place at a time when Sri Lanka suffered from an internal armed conflict and even outright war. Share of Sri Lanka’s exports in Indian imports has grown by 4 times between 2004-07 while in case of Chinese imports have remained constant over the period. These are facts as well.
27-May-2010
India with 1 billion market does not need 20 million Sri Lankan market for access. It wants access to Sri lankan hearts-to inhabitants of the island economy with which it has centuries of positive interaction.India is entering into a number of bilateral/plurilateral deals on services agreement. It is Sri Lanka that stands to be left behind in accessing India’s vast and growing market.
27-May-2010
I am conducting research with members of Via Campesina regarding notions of food sovereignty, and am particularly interested in the recent mobilisations in Madrid concerning the EU and Latin American trade proposals. I write from Australia where the movement is neglected in the media - ironic considering our increasing reliance on imported food and our land degradation crisis. Following my visit I will be writing several articles for publication in the press as well as academic journals.
In July I will be traveling to Spain where I hope to conduct interviews with representatives of COAG, CLOC and/or ECVC. If possible I will also travel to Confederacion EHNE in the Basque Country and Sindicato Labrego Galego in Santiago de Compostela.
Any advice, contacts in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time; I am grateful for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
Alana
ALANA MANN | Lecturer | Honours Coordinator
Department of Media and Communications | Faculty of Arts [
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Room 211, Holme Building (A09) | The University of Sydney | NSW | 2006
T +61 2 9351 2249 | F +61 2 9351 5444 | M +61 408 234 393
E alana.mann@sydney.edu.au | W http://sydney.edu.au
22-May-2010
About NPDTA TIFA and TECF
May 18, 2010
Bangladesh has taken all out initiatives to get duty-free market access in the US under the New Partnership for Trade Development Act (NPTDA), 2009, while on the other hand it has decided not to sign Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) as it contains matters relating to IPR and labour standards issues said to be detrimental for the interest of Bangladesh.
To understand the implications of NPDTA and TIFA a comparative assessment and clarifications of the respective provisions of NPDTA and TIFA on concerns relating to IPR and labour standards should be useful in deciding whatever Agreement we are going to sign with US, NPDTA, TIFA or proposed ’Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum’-TECF (Similar to US-Swiss or US-Iceland Agreemnt as preferred by the Commerce Minister). All three documents NPDTA (already accepted by Bangladesh), TIFA and ’Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum’ (TECF) contain provisions relating to IPR and IPR and labour standard.
Unlike NPTDA, TIFA and TECF provisions on IPR are without prejudice to the WTO TRIPS Agreement, wherein the LDCs, have the flexibility of not implementing the TRIPS obligations until the end of 2013 with the provision of extensions until required compliance capacities are developed.
Moreover, under TIFA and TECF (common contents) terms Bangladesh will be able to promote its offensive interests in areas of transfer of technology, compulsory licensing (including in sectors like pharmaceutical ingredients, biotechnology, energy related technology transfer etc) and technical assistance for capacity building under the terms of the TRIPS Agreement which the US need to comply as an obligation under WTO. Moreover without TIFA US will be free to impose its own domestic IPR laws on imports from Bangladesh as proposed in NPTDA.
The TIFA and TECF provisions on labour issues shall entitle Bangladesh to comply only with its domestic laws on the respective labour issues and its ILO obligations. This obligation is applicable irrespective of whether Bangladesh is a party of TIFA/TECF or not. Without TIFA/TECF US will be free to impose its own domestic labour laws on imports from Bangladesh as proposed in NPTDA.
On the other hand NPDTA includes provisions that would require recipient nations to adopt and maintain core labor rights as identified by the International Labor Organization. The legislation also puts additional conditionalities and parameters on compliance of market-based economies, practice Rule of Law, recognize political pluralism and protect human rights.
The bill also provides unilateral authority to US Agencies to conduct investigations in the affairs of Bangladesh in respect of protection of intellectual property rights, workers rights and environment concerns and enable the United States to impose sanctions on Bangladeshi exports to its market.
Unlike TIFA/TECF, integral to NPTDA is the idea that Bangladesh respects the IPR of US companies, clauses on labour and environment issues, otherwise, Bangladesh will be subject to whatever trade penalties the US is able to impose under its domestic laws which may even lead to import ban on also MFN basis.
Options for Bangladesh: As is evident from the above discussion, while TIFA/TECF affirms our rights and obligations committed under WTO, other global agreements, conventions and sovereign domestic laws, NPDTA rejects all of them outright. It is therefore most imperative and prudent for Bangladesh to establish the fundamentals of our terms of trade and economic relations with US under TIFA/TECF to safeguard our heard earned policy space acquired through painstaking global negotiations for about last forty years.
TIFA/TECF is not a preferential agreement in itself. It is the fundamental framework of trade and economic relations with US based on which subsequent Agreements are negotiated to strengthen and streamline mutual trade in specific areas of trade and investment in goods and services.
For Bangladesh TIFA/TECF is an essential first step to chart the future of Bangladesh-US trade relations giving both parties a framework from which to work. A next step from there could be negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement with US or neutralizing the hostile provisions of NPTDA so that the WTO and other international commitments, flexibilities and policy space available to both the parties along with their respective domestic laws and regulations are upheld.
Manzur Ahmed
Chairman: Fair Trade Advocacy Centre
Chairman: FBCCI Standing Committee on WTO and RTAs
Email: mahmed019@hotmail.com, a.manzur@yahoo.com
21-May-2010
Brasil se está compuesta por la PAC, el MST quiere la reforma agraria, la CUT alega aumento de los sueldos, el poder judicial en esta huelga, los escándalos del gobierno federal no choque a nadie, una nueva crisis está elaborando cerveza en Europa y la onda pequeñas pueden cruzar el Atlántico, por la forma en que nuestro presidente tendrá que utilizar su influêcia para dibujar chicas superpoderosas, Dilminha, Roseaninha y Martin, para ir allí y hablar sobre el trabajo.
Blah Blah Blah, no tome ninguna escuchar más a la charla, el pueblo brasileño está recibiendo tanto no pagar impuestos hasta que la bolsa se estrelló en la familia de malla fina, sólo tenemos que mantener un ojo sobre el desastre ambiental en los Estados Unidos ya que todo es especulación, es así capaz de aumentar el precio del combustible en Brasil, según los datos más simple, el Sr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, entró en contacto con el Capitán Planeta y sus protectores, Hugo Chávez y Fidel Castro para ayudar a nuestro amigo Barack Obama.
Peterson Pimentel Correa
www.terceiromundo.spaceblog.com.br
http://lacomunidad.elpais.com/del-tercer-mundo
21-May-2010
Ecuador y Bolivia hicieron los mas prudente. Nunca voy a creer, sinhaber leido ese "acuerdo", que ese o cualquier TLC con la EU o USA pueda ser alguna vez beneficioso para los paises de America Latina. Eso es una verdad absoluta. Para negociar con el sindicato de la union europea tenemos que hacerlo en Bloque, toda America del Sur y exigiendo iguales condiciones y con la posibilidad de patear el tablero si no nos conviene.
17-May-2010
Si se quiere aclimatar la paz en el campo a mediano y largo plazo no se debe firmar el TLC con la U E deben de administrar el pais desde los intereses del campesino colombiano .Por que se ofrece la limosna para la "reconversion"
es el pirrico precio de la entrega de nuestro mercado a las multinacionales europeas.
17-May-2010
la ganaderia de leche ha sido el salvavidas de las .quiebras agricolas en todos los climas,se pierde la papa,el tomate de arbol el lulo etc y se pastaliza,si el cafe sellena de broca entre los 1200snmylos1400 se recurre al ganado.entierra caliente se pierde en algodon,maiz ,arroz y se recurre a la ganaderia con los t l c con USA ,U
ganan chiquita brand (banano),los azucareros del valle (Ardila lulle)y arruinamos 480000 familias que sobreviremos de la leche.esperemos que las farc y las auc terminen recogiendo todos los desocupados como ocurrio ya en la decada de los noventa.
19-Apr-2010
It does not matter what you label the agreement, that is petty, what matters is the substance of the agreement.
27-Jun-2010
The article could have been a little bit more specific on the 3 outstanding issues issues, as well as more informative on the difference between the EPA and the EPA framework.