bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

Articles by language


GNP, Blue House differ on strategies for FTA vote
The Lee Myung-bak administration and the ruling Grand National Party are at loggerheads over how to get ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement through the National Assembly.
Bilateral deals don’t work: report
"Oversold" and failing to deliver any real benefits to business. That’s the Productivity Commission’s damning conclusion about Australia’s six bilateral and regional trade agreements.
Brussels closer to drinks trade deal with India
The EU-India FTA could represent a milestone for Europe’s spirits industry, which has long thirsted for a share of the world’s biggest whisky market.
Seminar on Taiwan-Indonesia collaboration opens in Jakarta
A second seminar on Taiwan-Indonesia collaboration opened in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta Tuesday to further explore bilateral ties on a wide front ranging from free trade agreements (FTAs) to challenges facing the media and technology sectors.
Free trade benefits oversold: commission
The positives of free trade agreements have been oversold and the way the deals are done needs to be improved, the Productivity Commission has found.
Free trade is costing millions: report
A year-long investigation of Australia’s free trade agreements has found they are often nothing of the kind.
Productivity Commission urges caution on free trade agreements
The Productivity Commission has released a report backing Trade Minister Craig Emerson’s critique of many free trade agreements.
South Korean President Seeks To Quell Worries Over FTA With U.S.
President Lee Myung-bak assured South Koreans Monday of long-term benefits from a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, saying it will not only expand South Korea’s economic domain but also bolster the Seoul-Washington military alliance, Yonhap news agency reported.
About-turn from SA on sugar access to Europe
The government has thrown its weight behind the South African sugar industry’s demand for preferential access to European markets. If granted, this would put SA on an equal sugar-trade footing with other sugar producing developing economies — the African-Pacific-Caribbean countries and the world’s least developed countries — for the first time since the industry lost its access under apartheid.
Canada nears securing trade agreement with Europe
It appears the Europeans are increasingly warming up to a Canadian demand that closely resembles the Chapter 11 clause in the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Towards a North American Security Perimeter
There are numerous reports that Canada and the U.S. are secretly negotiating a security and trade deal which could be signed as early as January 2011. The proposed agreement would establish a security perimeter as a means to better secure North America and stimulate trade.
Turkey should lobby Saudi Arabia for GCC ties
I followed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital, last week and had a chance to see firsthand how the leaders of oil-rich Gulf Arab countries conducted the meeting against the backdrop of the challenges facing the Middle East.
Govt has no mandate to negotiate Indo-EU FTA: CPI(M)
The CPI(M) today said the government has "no mandate" to negotiate the Indo-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) without consulting Parliament and political parties as it would adversely affect the economy and large sections of the people.
Trade imbalance to cast shadow on China-India talks
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao faces a tough task when he arrives in India next week to allay New Delhi’s fears over China’s rise as a global power , and to smooth tensions in an often fractious relationship.
KORUS FTA concessions part of MB’s U.S.-centered strategy, analysts say
In their South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) renegotiations, South Korea and the United States agreed to draft and submit an additional accord to their respective legislative bodies that includes full-scale revisions to the auto provisions of the previous agreement formally signed in 2007.
Intellectual Property Rights Office urged
Caribbean companies will have access to European programs designed to support innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), according to a CARICOM trade specialist, who yesterday urged that Bahamian businesses should look to offer products or services "with a unique advantage that people are willing to pay a premium price for".
Bahamian firms decry absence of EPA information
Stakeholders from the financial services, legal and accountancy professions yesterday expressed concern about a lack of access to information on how the Bahamian private sector can take advantage of opportunities arising from the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe.
WTO to force 50% Bahamas tariff reduction
A CARICOM trade specialist warned yesterday that the revenue losses the Bahamas will suffer from signing on to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe will be little compared to the "much more significant impact" that will be felt from new free trade deals with the US and Canada.
EU, SADC teams miss EPA deadline
SADC states and the European Union have missed the year-end deadline for the completion and signing of a full Economic Partnership Agreement, a target set in June and designed to bring finality to the complex process.
Chief EU delegate rules out renegotiation of FTA
The chargé d’affaires of the European Union delegation to Korea said Thursday that the EU will not demand renegotiation of its free trade deal with Seoul in the wake of Korea’s additional free trade negotiations with the US.