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US House plans Friday vote on ‘fast track’ trade authority
11-Jun-2015 Reuters
Republicans aimed for a vote on Friday to hand President Barack Obama the coveted “fast-track” trade negotiating authority he needs to complete his signature Pacific trade pact after concessions to Democrats appeared to smooth the way forward.
Egypt, Ethiopia negotiate FTA procedures between 2 countries
11-Jun-2015 MENAFN
Egypt negotiated with Ethiopia on Wednesday over procedures to establish a Free Trade Area in Ethiopia, according to head of the Industrial Development Authority Ismail Gaber.
Half of Africa joins in a free trade zone
11-Jun-2015 Deutsche Welle
African leaders have established a single free trade area encompassing 26 countries and 625 million people in eastern and southern Africa. And next week, they’ll kick off a process to negotiate an all-Africa trade pact.
TPP - healthcare annex of draft transparency chapter (Dec 2014)
11-Jun-2015 WikiLeaks
as leaked by Wikileaks on 10 June 2015
Civil Society raises major concerns on India’s engagement with the massive RCEP trade deal
11-Jun-2015 Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+)
As the eighth round of negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement take place in Kyoto, Japan this week, farmer’s groups, trade unions, civil society and patient groups are urging the Indian Government to halt the negotiations, make the negotiating texts public and hold consultations with all the relevant stakeholders, in light of the potential negative impact this agreement could have on access to medicines, livelihood of farmers, quality public services and overall social and economic development of the country.
WikiLeaks publishes healthcare annex to "transparency" chapter of TPP
11-Jun-2015 WikiLeaks
On Wednesday 10 June 2015, WikiLeaks published the Healthcare Annex to the secret draft "Transparency" Chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), along with each country’s negotiating position.
AFL-CIO head sends angry letter to Obama on trade deal
11-Jun-2015 Washington Post
AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka has sent a sharply worded letter to President Obama chiding him for having "repeatedly isolated and marginalized labor and unions" in the debate over the president’s Pacific Rim trade accord.
What does the TPP do as regards prices of drugs and other medical technologies?
11-Jun-2015 KEI
Two-page summary of the main provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) that will lead to higher prices for drugs and other medical technologies.
Open letter to the governments of EU-CELAC
10-Jun-2015
Statement from diverse collectives and organizations from Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, meeting in Brussels around the Days of Mobilization for Peoples Sovereignty against TNC Corporate power and the Architecture of Impunity established through Free Trade and Investment Treaties, during the second EU-CELAC summit.
The obscure legal system that lets corporations sue countries
10-Jun-2015 The Guardian
Fifty years ago, an international legal system was created to protect the rights of foreign investors. Today, as companies win billions in damages, insiders say it has got dangerously out of control
Divided EU lawmakers postpone vote on US trade deal
10-Jun-2015 Reuters
The European Parliament failed on Tuesday to agree a unified stance on a proposed trade deal with the United States, postponing a vote that was meant to cement its support for the biggest accord of its kind.
Canada’s new trade deals good for Canadian corporations, bad for African democracy
9-Jun-2015 rabble.ca
What do we call it when Ottawa signs a deal with an unelected regime that would prevent any future elected government in a small African nation from changing its laws regulating Canadian-owned mines for almost two decades?
How developing countries like India are petrified of being dragged into international arbitration
9-Jun-2015 Economic Times
India is caught in a pincer at this moment in time as it is faced with the twin need of FDIs to propel and sustain growth and also the need to fi rewall its sovereign rights to formulate policies without extraneous pressures from its trade partners and the corporate world.
Lying to get ISDS through the European Parliament
9-Jun-2015 EurActiv
BusinessEurope, and especially its Director General, should be factual and truthful when lobbying the European Parliament on ISDS and TTIP, argue Bart Staes and Molly Scott Cato.
Plan mitigates FTA fallout
9-Jun-2015
The government has decided to earmark 1.7 trillion won ($1.53 billion) over the next 10 years to mitigate damage to local industries from free-trade agreements with China, Vietnam and New Zealand expected to take effect this year.
FTA completion depends on unification of origin rules, customs: Abdel Nour
9-Jun-2015
The completion of the Free Trade Area (FTA) procedures among the three African blocs, SADC, COMESA and the East African Community (EAC), depends on the unification of the rules of origin and tariff, according to Egypt’s Minister of Industry and Trade Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour.
MEPs threaten to block trade deal over rights to regulate carbon emissions
9-Jun-2015 The Guardian
European parliament will ‘never consent’ to a Trade in Services Agreement that could bypass emissions limits for airlines and ships, senior figures warn
African officials say trade deal ready for signing
8-Jun-2015 AFP
The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) spanning 26 countries is to be launched at a summit of heads of state and government on Wednesday in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
2 million sign European Citizens’ Initiative against EU-US trade deal
8-Jun-2015 Stop TTIP
The European Citizens’ Initiative “Stop TTIP” has reached a new record number of signatures a few days ahead of a critical vote on TTIP in the European Parliament.
Korea, Pakistan likely to start FTA negotiations
8-Jun-2015 Pakistan Today
South Korea and Pakistan are likely to announce negotiations to clinch a free trade agreement (FTA) soon, according to a source familiar with the issue, The Korea Times reported on Sunday.