ISDS Case Map
ASEAN
India is set to sign a long-awaited free trade agreement with the Association of South-East Asian Nations by (ASEAN) by October, news reports said Sunday.
THE European Commission said it has not been getting commitments from the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations in the negotiations for a free-trade agreement but welcomed member countries of Asean to push for bilateral deals with the regional bloc.
Over the last decade, ASEAN has negotiated free trade agreements (FTA) at breakneck speeds, signing deals with Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also in the process of negotiating FTAs with India, South Korea, and China. The deal with China has garnered much attention, because it will create the third largest common market by trade volume, with a population of 1.8 billion and a US$2 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union have agreed to halt ongoing talks on the free trade agreement.
"ASEAN should build a different kind of regionalism and not sign bilateral Free Trade Agreements with the EU", says Malaysian MP Mr. Charles Santiago in Brussels in a debate with Mr. Bercero, chief negotiator for the EU in the EU-Korea FTA and Mr. Helmut Markov, chair of the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament.
South Korea will move closer to a full free trade deal with Southeast Asian nations when an agreement on opening up the services sector comes into force on 1 May.
The free trade agreement the EU has proposed to Asean deliberately undermines the Doha Declaration on patents and public health.
A new investment fund and loan package to help alleviate the impact of the global financial crisis for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) represents the latest overture of China's "soft power" campaign towards the region.
The India-Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has suffered so many disasters that some observers fear a jinx.
The Philippines will receive 6.5 million Euros to develop a strategic trade policy for both bilateral and multilateral negotiations, speed up customs procedures, cope with demanding EU regulations on technical standards and comply with the latest requirements on food safety.
