Americas


Bilateral deal-making involving governments of Latin America, the US and Canada.

last update: May 2012

Photo: rabble / CC BY-SA 2.0


Costa Rica & Colombia approve free trade agreement
The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica has approved the country's Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, a prerequisite for Costa Rica to gain admittance into the Pacific Alliance group, composed of Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile.
Ecuador: International support crucial in battle with Chevron
Ecuador's hopes of winning a legal struggle against US oil supermajor Chevron Corp. pertaining to a multi-billion-dollar pollution judgment rest on the degree of "global solidarity" with the Andean nation, Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño said Wednesday.
US mulls wider trade pact with Latin America
The United States is exploring the idea of setting up a wider regional trade pact with Latin America, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Dec. 15.
We reject the offers made by the Argentine government to pay the ICSID claims
ATTAC Argentina declare that we reject the offer made by the Argentine government to pay 500 million dollars to five transnational corporations that sued our country before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Ecuador for alternatives to bilateral investment treaties
Foreign minister Ricardo Patiño announced today that Ecuador looks for alternatives to the Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) -TIB in Spanish- signed with other countries and considered dangerous to national sovereignty.
Ecuador establishes commission to audit investment treaties
Ecuador has established a special commission to audit bilateral investment treaties, or BITs, signed with different countries and by several governments, the country's Foreign Minister said.
Argentina: what to do with the BITs?
Why do we continue to be bound to this investment protection regime when it is not a determinant of FDI and makes it harder for us to retain our resources?
Guatemala opts into Central American FTA with Mexico
As Guatemala has now approved its participation in the free trade agreement between Mexico and the other Central American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – the agreement entered into effect on September 1, 2013.
Regional free trade agreement with Mexico enters into force
A free trade agreement between Central America and Mexico entered into force this week, the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Ministry (COMEX) reported on Monday.
Ecuador waives US trade rights over Edward Snowden asylum request
Ecuador said it was waiving preferential rights under a US trade agreement to demonstrate its principled approach to the asylum request of former American spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Referenced sites

Trrade for People and Planet

We want trade deals to be democratic, to benefit working people and the environment. We need to revolutionize the trade model and create a new global economy...

US-Japan Business Council

USJBC has been pushing for a US-Japan FTA

US State Department Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs

The Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs ensures that the overall foreign policy goals of the U.S. Government are factored into the development of U.S. bilatera...

USTR National Trade Estimate Report

Annual assessment of obstacles to US trade interests in foreign countries