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Did Trump steal our agenda? Why fighting free trade isn’t enough anymore
21-Oct-2025 TNI
As the European Trade Justice Coalition marks 25 years, this reflection asks an unsettling question: how did the right appropriate the language of anti-globalization? It calls on activists to rethink trade, the state, and strategy for a new cycle of struggle.
Suphajee, Peruvian envoy discuss trade partnership, target Thailand–Peru FTA conclusion by year-end
21-Oct-2025 The Nation
Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun meets Peru’s ambassador to strengthen trade ties and aims to conclude the upgraded Thailand–Peru FTA by 2025-end.
GCC and UK intensify free trade deal negotiations, discuss establishing new joint action plan
21-Oct-2025 Middle East Economy
It is estimated that the GCC-UK deal could increase bilateral trade by 16 percent, adding an extra $10.85 billion per year to trade.
EU Council clears final step for India-EU free trade deal to be signed by year-end
21-Oct-2025 MSN
The European Union Council has given final approval for a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the EU, paving the way for the deal to be signed by the end of 2025. The move reflects a growing strategic alignment amid global economic and geopolitical challenges.
PH-EU free trade talks to resume next week
20-Oct-2025 Manila Times
The EU and Philippine officials will hold the fourth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations in Cebu, the talks, paused since 2017, are progressing toward a potential FTA by 2027.
Bangladesh moves to sign FTA with EU to secure post-LDC trade privileges
20-Oct-2025 The Business Standard
The interim government of Bangladesh has launched an initiative to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union, Bangladesh’s largest export destination, in a bid to safeguard privileged access to its market after graduating from the least developed country (LDC) category in 2026.
India now engages in trade from position of strength: Piyush Goyal
20-Oct-2025 IANS
The minister stated that gone are the days when India entered into imbalanced free trade agreements without recognising its own strengths.
EU unlikely to push sanctions on Israel after Trump peace deal
20-Oct-2025 Politico
An EU plan to sanction Israel’s government ministers and cut back on trade ties has been put on ice as a leading group of member countries believes it’s no longer necessary in light of the US-brokered peace agreement to end the war in Gaza.
India, Brazil initiate talks to expand Mercosur trade pact
20-Oct-2025 The Economic Times
India and Brazil have launched discussions to expand the scope of the preferential trade agreement between India and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, whose founding members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
EU to start talks with trans-Pacific economies to cooperate over free trade
20-Oct-2025 The Mainichi
The European Union will soon enter talks in earnest with Japan and other countries that make up a trans-Pacific partnership to explore cooperation in safeguarding free trade, Japanese and EU officials said.
Le nouvel envoyé spécial de l’Inde plaide en faveur d’un accord commercial global
20-Oct-2025 Radio Canada
Le nouvel envoyé de l’Inde au Canada affirme qu’Ottawa devrait abandonner la recherche d’un accord commercial restreint et plutôt viser un accord global de commerce et d’investissement avec le pays le plus peuplé du monde.
India-EU FTA talks advance to political level, Piyush Goyal to visit Brussels later this month
20-Oct-2025 Financial Express
India and the European Union (EU) will now remain continuously engaged at the chief negotiators’ level as the deadline for a free trade agreement approaches, and a real breakthrough remains elusive. However, there will be no more formal rounds of negotiations, after the 14th concluded in Brussels recently.
Method to the madness: How Trump’s chaotic trade agenda benefits big tech
17-Oct-2025 Public Citizen
A close examination of the dizzying chaos surrounding President Trump’s tariff threats and secretive “trade deals” shows a disturbing throughline: this is nothing but a shakedown on behalf of Big Tech.
US Tariff and Security Agreement: USTR’s letter to Bangladesh hints at trade aggression
17-Oct-2025 BDDigest
The United States is waging a trade and investment war with various countries in the name of reciprocal tariffs, as it tries to pressure importing countries to curb China’s growing export growth.
Trade deals weaponised to enforce strict seed patents, warns new report
17-Oct-2025 Down to Earth
Countries in the global South being pressured through trade agreements to adopt restrictive UPOV seed laws, threatening farmers’ rights and food sovereignty.
First comprehensive review of USMCA labor cases shows tool delivered wins, but structural gaps threaten long-term success
17-Oct-2025 Rethink Trade
Recently initiated six-year USMCA review must include improvements to the USMCA rapid response labor mechanism for intended benefits to materialize
Not a border crisis, but a “free trade” crisis
17-Oct-2025 Public Citizen
A new report unpacks how decades of corporate-led trade agreements have displaced millions of people, stripping them of their livelihoods and forcing them to migrate to survive.
EU seeks to conclude FTA talks with Philippines before GSP+ expires
17-Oct-2025 Manila Bulletin
The European Union aims to finalize a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Philippines by the end of 2027, ahead of the expiration of the current GSP+ arrangement that grants the Philippines duty-free access to the EU market for over 6,200 products.
Türkiye, UK complete 2nd round of talks on upgrading FTA
16-Oct-2025 Daily Sabah
Türkiye and the UK are set to hold a third round of negotiations after the second in September to reach a "next-generation" and comprehensive free trade agreement to replace the existing one since 2021.
Will AfCFTA liberalisation cushion african countries against the end of AGOA?
16-Oct-2025 Tralac
This blog attempts to shed light on the question of whether the liberalisation of merchandise trade on the African continent – which is the stated goal of the AfCFTA – will help cushion the trade impacts of US tariffs and the end of preferences under AGOA.