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  1. Negotiations

:: Across the board ::


This section contains news and analysis of sweeping developments that affect the overall push and pull towards FTAs and bilateral investment treaties. This means major trends relating to bilateralism, often with global consequences, and other cross-cutting issues. New developments arising from US politics, the WTO or South-South alliance-building, for instance, are often reported here as they tend to have systemic impacts.

last update: May 2012

TTIP and the push for a new global economic order
4-Mar-2015    
A lot of protest has arisen against the Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in recent times, and rightly so. For those who take a good look at the available negotiating documents realize that it is about a lot more than granting Access to our markets for chlorine chickens and hormone-infested beef, or the abolition of our committees for Security and Hygiene in the work environment. This is about something bigger. It’s about the continuation and the imposition of the neoliberal agenda. It is about laying the bricks for a hegemonic worldview for the coming decennia.
European trade policy at an impasse
4-Mar-2015     DIE
With all eyes on TTIP, we are losing sight of the real challenges for Europe emerging in the Asia-Pacific economic region, argues Axel Berger
Lawmakers grapple with ‘fast track’ trade bill
25-Feb-2015     WSJ
US congressional leaders crafting the so-called fast-track bill, meant to expedite passage of trade deals, want to include sweeteners to attract skeptical Democrats, including rules to allow lawmakers greater access to details of ongoing trade negotiations.
Obama begins sales pitch on trade to wary US public
22-Feb-2015     Reuters
President Barack Obama on Saturday began a broad sales pitch to the US public about the merits of free trade deals, an area in which he faces stiff resistance from many in his own Democratic party.
Corporate coup d’état: Those crappy trade deals
18-Feb-2015     Counter Punch
The corporate media would prefer that people know nothing about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and other trade deals.
TPP and TTIP: Partners in crime
23-Jan-2015     Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung
Mike Dolan, Vice-President of the Citizens’ Trade Campaign, takes stock of the resistance against both TPP and TTIP in the United States and outlines the strategy we need if we want to prevent the passage of “trade” agreements that threaten to kill jobs, undermine labor standards and environmental regulations, limit access to generic drugs, and even aim to exempt corporations from the judicial process.
Democrats oppose Obama's demand for fast-tracking Pacific trade deal
21-Jan-2015     The Guardian
Congressional Democrats are set to demonstrate their “lack of support” for the fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) the morning after Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
US: Members of Congress demand to see secret trade deals
14-Jan-2015     GMO Inside
US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and others, are demanding that trade representatives turn over a full text of the TPP trade agreement.
Regional agreements gaining steam
8-Jan-2015     Korea Herald
While bilateral free trade agreements, as a means to further the market-opening and rule-making agenda, have been globally picking up steam, there have also been parallel efforts to usher in a plethora of regional trade agreements and economic unions.
US free trade critics, supporters kick off battle for public opinion
8-Jan-2015     Reuters
Supporters and critics of free trade are readying for a bitter battle this year over major free trade deals and legislation to fast-track trade agreements through the US Congress.