ISDS Case Map
fisheries | fisherfolk
With barely five months to go before the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) come into force, it is still unclear whether agreements in the negotiations will be reached.
South Korea will spend more than 130 trillion won ($140.3 billion) through 2013 to compensate for losses to farms and fisheries stemming from a free trade deal with the United States, the government said on Thursday.
The end of the World Trade Organisation waiver for Cotonou trade preferences at the end of this year will cost Namibia hundreds of millions, considering that the country's agricultural and fish exports are built on the preferences.
The Spanish tuna-fishing and processing company Grupo Calvo has been accused of serious anti-union practices in El Salvador. The paradox is that Calvo had insisted that this Central American country approve labour laws required by the European Union for the purpose of obtaining tariff exemptions, as a condition for continuing to invest here.
Despite the positive prospects of the tuna industry, key players are alarmed with the recent move of other countries like Thailand which is seeking bilateral free trade agreement with the US.
Thai shrimp farmers have urged the government to speed up negotiations with Australia over its proposed health and safety standard before it comes into effect on February 21.
International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz has not addressed the main concerns surrounding the US-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), claimed a regional grouping of fishermen and farmers today.
Fisher folk groups are opposing the ASEAN's Roadmap to Fisheries Integration, saying the facilitation of free trade of fisheries products without consideration for the biological limits to fisheries productivity would lead to overfishing and adversely affect artisanal fishers who could not compete with commercial fishing fleets.
Thai shrimpers yesterday submitted a letter to protest against Australia's ban on shrimp imports even before its import risk analysis is completed. Viewing the move as unfair, Thai officials will also discuss the issue at a forum on the Thailand-Australia free trade agreement next week.
Japan has vowed to exempt duty on 51 aquatic products from Indonesia within the next three to five years after the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
