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Farmers from both sides of the Atlantic unite for food sovereignty
12-May-2010 Via Campesina
The European Union is eager to sign free-trade agreements under the Spanish presidency between the EU and MERCOSUR, Central America and Peru and Colombia. Farmer’s organizations from both Latin American countries and Europe are united in their opposition to the talks.
’An India-Australia FTA could have huge gains for both sides’
12-May-2010
Australian trade minister Simon Crean is here to push a free trade agreement with India. Besides, he is talking to Australian companies in India to get an assessment of the barriers they face. In an interview, he also tells Sidhartha the new mining tax would not affect foreign investors looking at Australia. Edited excerpts:
Pan American Energy takes Bolivia to ICSID over nationalization of Chaco Petroleum
12-May-2010 ITN
Anglo-Argentinean energy firm Pan American Energy has initiated arbitration against Bolivia over the nationalization of its subsidiary Chaco Petroleum by the Morales government in 2009.
Brazil eyes French arms deal as Mercosur bargaining chip
12-May-2010 UPI
Brazil is positioning itself to use talks with France on a multibillion-dollar arms deal as a bargaining chip in Latin America’s fight for better terms for Mercosur agricultural exports to Europe, officials said.
Nepal invites US official to sign TIFA
12-May-2010 República
Nepal has invited Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis for signing Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), which the two countries negotiated out last month.
Ten EU nations protest resumption of Mercosur talks
12-May-2010 AFP
Ten EU nations, led by France, protested in a statement to the entire EU Council that the resumption of free trade talks with the Latin American bloc Mercosur sends "a highly negative signal" for Europe’s struggling farm sector.
Free trade pact with Mongolia on the cards
12-May-2010 China Daily
China has initiated feasibility studies for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Mongolia to further strengthen bilateral trade ties between the two nations, a top official from the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.
Thai cabinet approves draft of free trade agreement with Chile
12-May-2010 Dow Jones
The draft will be proposed for the approval of parliament before negotiations kick off.
Business leaders to step up push for Asia-Pacific free trade area
12-May-2010 CNA
APEC’s business lobby, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council, will urge 21 government leaders to set a timetable for the creation of a regional free trade area later this year
President hopes to sign FTA with Japan
11-May-2010
President Ma Ying-jeou said Tuesday that Japan is a major trading partner of Taiwan and that he hopes the two countries can sign a free trade agreement (FTA).
Taiwan opponents of ECFA with China to stage 3-day protest from May 20
11-May-2010 Taiwan News
A 3-day protest in Taiwan against the proposed ECFA with China will begin 20 May 2010.
EU seeks extensive Mercosur trade deal
11-May-2010 Irish Independent
"When these negotiations last broke down, due to the lack of benefits for the wider EU economy, Mercosur was seeking a 300,000t beef quota and the EU was at a formal offer of 100,000t," Meat Industry Ireland’s Cormac Healy said.
Tweet-In for Colombia – Stop the free trade agreement
11-May-2010 CUPE
The time is now to stop the Conservatives and Liberals who are trying to rush through a harmful free trade agreement with Colombia without properly assessing its potential impact on human rights, workers and the environment.
How to resolve free trade issues with EU, by ECOWAS ministers
10-May-2010
Knotty issues impeding conclusive negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) can be resolved if the private sector in West Africa is involved in the process, according to ministers from the sub-region in charge of the talks.
MPs divided on Canada-Colombia trade agreement
10-May-2010
Increasing trade between Canada and Colombia would help fight drug traffickers and improve human rights in the South American country, says Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost. But critics say the country’s poor human-rights record should put any free-trade plans on hold.
Indo-Asean ties key to region’s growth
10-May-2010
Close economic cooperation between India and Asean can prove to be a potent force in shaping the economic fortunes of South and South-east Asia over the next decade. Standard & Poor’s believes, however, that recent Indo-Asean increases in trade and investment flows still fall well short of their full potential.
Canada-EU deal will affect more than trade
10-May-2010
It’s unsettling to know that even on the heels of the recent free-trade themed Canada-EU summit in Brussels, most Canadians haven’t a clue that our federal and provincial governments are negotiating with the European Union what could be the largest, most significant bilateral trade deal in history.
Peuples d’Europe et d’Amérique latine unis contre le libéralisme de Bruxelles
10-May-2010 L’Humanité
Le sixième sommet UE-Amérique latine pourrait être boycotté par les présidents de l’hémisphère Sud. En marge de cette grand-messe, le sommet alternatif dénonce les accords de libre-échange et ses conséquences sociales.
Australian tax could breach treaty with China
10-May-2010 Telegraph
Mining shares plunged last week after Kevin Rudd, Australia’s prime minister, proposed a 40pc tax on mining profits, arguing that Australia’s mining boom was benefiting shareholders based abroad
Saskatchewan joins B.C., Alberta in interprovincial free trade market
10-May-2010 Journal of Commerce
British Columbia and Alberta have signed an economic partnership with Saskatchewan that creates Canada’s biggest interprovincial free trade market and is designed to promote trade with Asia.