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SA may be excluded from EU partner deal
17-Mar-2009     Business Day
The European Union is likely to move towards the official signing of an interim economic partnership agreement, known as an EPA, with countries of the Southern African Development Community that will exclude South Africa.
Taking the credit - how financial services liberalisation fails the poor
16-Mar-2009     WDM
The report looks at how financial services liberalisation, and especially the entry and ongoing presence of foreign banks in the global south, as promoted at the World Trade Organisation and through European bilateral trade deals, leads to the prioritisation of richer customers and larger companies resulting in poorer customers losing out.
Govt gears up to limit free trade deal adversities
16-Mar-2009     Jakarta Post
Indonesia is preparing massive financial and technical support for meat and tropical fruit businesses in a bid to cash in on ASEAN's free trade deals with Australia and New Zealand.
Who are the cleared advisors that have access to secret ACTA documents?
16-Mar-2009     KEI
According to USTR, all of the members of the 27 USTR trade advisory committees are cleared to see the classified documents in the ACTA negotiations. This blog entry lists more than a hundred, but it is only a partial list of the several hundred lobbyist who are considered "cleared advisors."
TWN preliminary report on FTA/WTO and financial crisis
16-Mar-2009    
A new TWN report finds that North-South free trade agreements, bilateral investment treaties and World Trade Organization commitments often contain a number of provisions that can increase the likelihood of a financial crisis and make it more difficult to take the necessary measures to deal with one once it occurs.
`Korea-EU FTA to be concluded next month`
16-Mar-2009     Donga
If ratified, the agreement will create the world's second-largest free trade zone after NAFTA and create pressure to ratify the US-Korea FTA.
Obama administration says treaty text is state secret
15-Mar-2009     PCWorld
The Office of US Trade Representative (USTR), part of President Barack Obama's office, has denied a company's request for information about a secretive anticounterfeiting trade agreement being negotiated, citing national security concerns.
Ever heard of Gaesung? Gear up for its products
15-Mar-2009     Economic Times
The North Korean city of Gaesung will emerge as a major beneficiary of the India-South Korea comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) which is likely to be signed soon
Social organizations oppose signing economic agreement with China
15-Mar-2009     Taiwan Church News
Farmers, medium-sized and small businesses will lose out while capitalists will reap the most benefits if an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between Taiwan and China is signed. An ECFA is also a prelude to reunification.
S Korea, Peru to start free trade talks
15-Mar-2009     Xinhua
South Korea and Peru will start their first round of free trade negotiations in Seoul next week, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Friday.