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Japan meets most conditions for ’vital’ EU trade talks: documents
The European Union will tell Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday that Brussels is broadly satisfied with Japan’s progress in negotiations towards an ambitious free-trade deal, likely allowing talks to continue, according to EU documents.
En Paca, la fronde anti Tafta s’organise
En France, la fronde s’organise principalement autour du Front de Gauche (FDG) et d’Europe-Ecologie-Les Verts (EE-LV) qui ont d’ailleurs décidé de placer leur combat contre Tafta au coeur de leur campagne des européennes
In Colombia, free trade brings more poverty and more killings
Colombian unions and farmers opposed the free trade agreement strongly, and today hold it responsible for increasing poverty while fostering a climate in which corporate rights are paramount and labor rights hardly exist.
Unseen side of TPP talks
Japan-U.S. bilateral negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership multinational free trade agreement have overcome their largest remaining hurdle, with a substantive agreement reached after renewed talks held in tandem with U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Japan from April 23 to 25.
TPP deal on cards this month: Bollard
It is possible a Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal will be thrashed out by the end of the month, says Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) executive director Alan Bollard.
Minister hints at FTA with Japan
Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan on Wednesday said that negotiations on signing of a free trade agreement with Japan were progressing.
Agrarian uprising against free trade and ’government lies’ sweeps Colombia
Agrarian strikes, protests, and road blockades are sweeping Colombia this week as peasants voice outrage at the "free trade" policies, backed by the Colombian government, that they say are exacerbating the country’s crisis of rural poverty.
FTA btw China, Switzerland to enter into force in July
The free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Switzerland will enter into force on July 1 with internal approval procedures completed, the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) said on Wednesday.
China pressing for vast Asia-Pacific FTA as rival US-led deal runs into snags
China is pressing for a vast Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, a senior official said Wednesday, as a rival U.S.-led deal that excludes the Asian giant runs into snags.
Vilsack says sanitary issues delaying TTIP
Disagreements over sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) are delaying US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
African leaders join Nigeria to reject European economic agreement
African Ministers of Trade meeting at the African Union in Addis have aligned with Nigeria’s position on the trade liberalisation deal with the European Union under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), saying it will have a long-term negative impact on the continent’s efforts towards industrialisation and job creation.
Abe calls for swift progress in talks with EU on free-trade pact
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on a visit to Germany on Wednesday, called for swift progress in talks with the European Union to nail a free-trade pact.
Colombia cracks down on rural reform protests
While Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos criticizes Nicolás Maduro of neighboring Venezuela for repressive tactics, he himself has now ordered armed troops, armored vehicles and gendarmerie agents onto the streets of the Colombian capital to disperse demonstrators.
Ottawa mulls Keystone XL challenge under NAFTA after US dodges decision again
While US President Barack Obama hoped to kick Keystone XL out of the way by delaying a decision ahead of mid-term elections, Ottawa is considering launching a challenge under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Must we link trade to social and environmental standards?
The inclusion of "sustainable development" chapters in bilateral trade agreements has generally met with resistance from the EU’s trading partners.
’EU’s ban on Indian mangoes, vegetables could hit free trade talks’
The European Union’s decision to ban the import of Alphonso mangoes and four vegetables from India could derail EU-India free trade negotiations and weaken New Delhi’s relations with Brussels, according to the Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC).
Implementing Canada-EU free-trade deal could take another two years
Six months after Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Brussels to announce Canada’s largest-ever free-trade pact with Europe, Canada and the European Union are still negotiating key aspects of the deal, with implementation possibly as much as two years away.
Nontariff barriers and FTAs
Frozen orange juice concentrate has been a thorny issue for almost a year. Washington has complained that the Korean Customs Service has been imposing unreasonable “country-of-origin” verification requirements on citrus growers from Florida. These are based on unsubstantiated suspicions that some orange juice concentrates from Florida may in fact originate from Brazil.
FTAs with China, Malaysia damaging poultry industry
Free Trade Agreements signed with Malaysia as well as China, without taking the real stakeholders onboard, are damaging the local poultry industry, as the imports of processed chicken products under FTA with Malaysia are subject to zero percent import duty and from China at 16% import duty.
Qatar’s Al Jazeera files $150 million damages claim with Egypt
The Qatar-based satellite network Al Jazeera served Egypt with a $150 million compensation claim on Monday for what it said was damage to its business inflicted by Cairo’s military rulers, a step likely to worsen Qatari-Egyptian relations.