ISDS Case Map
EU
European Union
The relatively narrow few who will benefit from increased exports to Europe are the ones whose voices are being heard over and above the many more who will suffer from European imports and the further increase in unregulated foreign involvement on African soil.
By formally declaring their willingness to take the European Union to the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement court last week, India may be using the looming legal dispute as leverage to control the free trade (FTA) negotiations which have hit a snag on social issues.
Labor unions, human rights advocates and workers across both continents are opposing the new trade agreements at a time when Europe is struggling to rebound from the financial crisis, suddenly intensifed by the recent turmoil in Greece. The popular opposition to free trade could foreshadow similar conflicts in the United States, as several deals with Latin American countries are currently stalled in Congress.
The European Union on Wednesday signed agreements liberalizing trade with Central America, Peru and Colombia, while some Latin American leaders criticized such deals as only favouring rich countries.
Philippine Trade Secretary Jesli Lapus said the Philippines and the European Union will resume talks next month over a free trade agreement after resolving a statement over copyright protection.
“I think these agreements are dangerous for South American producers and for European producers. For example, the agro-food industry today wants to export huge amounts of milk, to try to offload surplus; that’s only for its benefit. It risks harming major milk producers Uruguay, Argentina and others.”
Colombian dairy farmers from across the country will launch a last-ditch round of protests on Wednesday to oppose the signing of the Andean nation's free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union
Europe, which currently exports only about 10 percent of its products to Namibia, intends to expand the presence of its products in the country, amidst fears by authorities here that the deal would bear negatively on local products, while so-called infant industries could face extinction.
Under the agreement, cars made by EU producers such as Volkswagen AG, Renault SA and Fiat SpA will be given increasing free access to the Central American market over 10 years. The governments also agreed on quotas for EU imports of 7,000 tons of boneless cuts of beef and 20,000 tons of rice, growing 5 percent annually, that constitute new trade.
Trade unions from Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union call for a halt to the ratification of the EU-Central America and EU-Colombia/Peru Free Trade Agreements (FTA) given the omission of key trade union demands and the lack of involvement of civil society and trade unions in the negotiations process.
