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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

Brussels moves on negotiating trade treaties
12-Jul-2010     FT
The European Commission wants to replace a thicket of about 1,200 bilateral investment treaties signed by the EU’s 27 member states over five decades with far fewer treaties binding the entire bloc.
D-8 Commission establishes Preferential Trade Agreement --report
6-Jul-2010     WSJ
The Developing Eight, a group of developing countries, on Monday established a Preferential Trade Agreement to facilitate investment and economic cooperation among member states.
G20 leaders drop Doha target, see smaller deals
29-Jun-2010     Reuters
World leaders dropped a commitment on Saturday to complete the troubled Doha trade round this year and vowed to push forward on bilateral and regional trade talks until a global deal could be done.
WTO DG Pascal Lamy describes FTAs as "politically convenient" instruments
25-Jun-2010    
Asean has been interested in using Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as instruments for promoting trade in the globalised economy.
EU seals trade deals with Central America, Peru, Colombia - summary
20-May-2010     dpa
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.
EU-LatAm trade deals dangerous for both sides says José Bové
19-May-2010     Euronews
“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.”
EU, Latam to talk trade, boycott threat looms
17-May-2010     Reuters
The European Union will seek to conclude trade agreements with several Latin American countries and revive stalled negotiations with others when 60 European and Latin America countries meet this week in Madrid.
Facts are stubborn things when it comes to trade
10-May-2010     The Hill
We're all entitled to our own opinion about NAFTA-style trade pacts, but we're not entitled to our own facts. The most peculiar claim is that the US has trade surpluses with its FTA partners, when in fact the data show we have a deficit.
EU balks at action on Japan economic pact
29-Apr-2010     Financial Times
The European Union on Wednesday agreed to launch a "joint examination" of its trade and investment ties with Japan, but waved aside Tokyo's call for preparations for an "economic integration agreement" that supporters say would benefit both sides by billions of euros a year.
Hoyer says trade deal vote this year doubtful
23-Apr-2010    
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Thursday it was doubtful that the House this year will take up pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.