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Venezuela mulls return to CAN
President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Venezuela may return to the Andean Community, or CAN, because leftist leaders in Bolivia and Ecuador who have resisted free trade deals with the United States could help to transform the regional trade bloc.
Militant groups ask senators to scrap RP-Japan accord
The jobs of at least 77,000 as well as tens of thousands of iron and steel workers whose livelihoods depend, directly or indirectly, on the automotive industry are imperiled as the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) threatens to destroy the country’s automotive industry, said Frank Mero, national president of the Philippine Metalworkers’ Alliance and of the Automotive Industry Workers’ Alliance.
JPEPA unconstitutional, legal luminaries say
Legal luminaries insist on the unconstitutionality of the proposed Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), presently under scrutiny by the Philippine Senate
S. Korea, ASEAN agree on free trade deal on services
South Korea and Southeast Asian nations have reached a free trade deal on services, raising the possibility of finalizing free trade talks by the end of this year.
Costa Ricans narrowly back free trade with US
Costa Ricans narrowly approved — 52% said yes, 48% said no — a free trade deal with the United States in a referendum on Sunday that has split the Central American nation like no other issue in decades.
Costa Rica: ITUC supports "No" to DR-CAFTA in referendum
Despite the overwhelming evidence of workers’ rights being routinely abused, DR-CAFTA offers no solution.
Threats, dirty tricks, fake polls: Costa Rica votes under duress on ’free trade’
It is politically inconceivable that the Democratic majority in Congress — which voted against CAFTA when it was approved here — would move to punish Costa Rica for its voters having rejected the same agreement.
Quiet day in Costa Rican referendum
Nearly 2.7 million people will vote today to decide whether CAFTA is to be ratified or not, an unprecedented happening in the political history of Costa Rica.
No deal reached in EU-Caribbean trade talks
The European Union and countries in the Caribbean failed to agree on a new trade and investment deal in two days of talks that ended on Friday. EU officials had expected the Caribbean to become the first of the ACP regions to agree to a new deal.
Seoul, Ottawa to focus on barley, bean in free trade agreement talks
South Korea and Canada will focus on barley, bean, potato and other farm products in free trade agreement talks that reopen in Ottawa this week
EU to recognise Vietnam having market economy if...
"I want to make clear that the EU-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement that we are building is with only seven member nations of ASEAN. Laos and Cambodia have their own trade deals with the EU while we plan to put an embargo on Myanmar," says a member of the European Parliament.
LatAm notables against CAFTA-DR
Renowned Latin American figures have expressed their solidarity with the Costa Rican people, who are expected to go to the polls Sunday to decide in a referendum whether their country signs a free trade agreement with the US.
West Africa to miss EU trade partnership deadline
West Africa will miss a Dec. 31 deadline to sign a new trade partnership with the European Union and hopes to keep its preferential commercial privileges for up to two years while it negotiates, a West African official said.
India, Philippines sign 9 bilateral deals
The Philippines signed nine bilateral agreements with India on Friday, including a framework agreement for bilateral trade.
JPEPA makes working in Japan tougher for health workers
Filipino health workers hoping to work in Japan or migrate to that country may find it more difficult if the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) is approved, said a national organization of health professionals.
EU, Pacific countries to seek interim trade deal
The European Union and Pacific countries agreed on Tuesday to seek an interim new trade deal, to enter into force on 1 January, while they continue negotiating an EPA by end of 2008.
EU, India to make major offers on duty cut
EU sees a new readiness on the part of the Indian side which, for the first time, has put poverty reduction, labour standards and environmental protection under the bilateral trade framework.
The gloves are off — Europe dismisses sugar, insults tourism ahead of ’make-or-break’ trade talks
Tempers flare as Caricom trade negotiators and the European Commission work with an October 15 deadline to initial an EU-Caribbean EPA
Republicans grow skeptical on free trade
By a nearly two-to-one margin, US Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the US economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new president.
More than a dilemma, the trilemma of globalizacion
While the defenders of conventional globalization proclaim its benefits, economic as much as political, in Latin America the conflicts generated by openness to trade and international finance are mounting concerning democracy and national autonomy.