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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

Victory for grassroots as Fast Track goes down in crucial Senate vote
13-May-2015     Common Dreams
In what was immediately heralded as a victory for the grassroots, Senate Democrats on Tuesday stymied President Barack Obama's corporate-driven trade agenda by voting to prevent the chamber from taking up Fast Track legislation.
Senate Democrats block Obama on free-trade initiative
13-May-2015     AFP
US Senate Democrats dealt a stinging setback to Barack Obama on Tuesday, blocking a measure that would have given their own president a free hand to swiftly finalise a massive Pacific Rim trade accord.
Major win as US Senate blocks TPP Fast Track bill
13-May-2015     EFF
Opponents of sprawling and secretive international agreements won a significant victory today when U.S. Senators voted to block the advancement of its Fast Track trade bill.
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Democrats may have votes to block 'fast track' authority
12-May-2015     Stuff
Democratic party infighting has left in limbo US President Barack Obama's highly sought special authority to close global trade deals, with opponents believing they have the votes to block the measure.
Resisting the ‘free trade’ offensive: four reasons to join the global day of action this Saturday
17-Apr-2015     Left Foot Forward
This slew of trade deals can be seen as a global corporate offensive – indeed, they are backed by networks of think tanks and lobby groups funded and staffed by some of the world’s most powerful corporations. So to defeat them, we need to coordinate our own actions globally.
Deal reached on fast-track authority for Obama on trade pact
16-Apr-2015     New York Times
The leaders of Congress’s tax-writing committees reached agreement Thursday on legislation to give President Obama “fast track” authority to negotiate an ambitious trade accord with 11 other Pacific nations
17 April 2015: International Day of Peasant and Farmer Struggle against Transnational Companies and Free Trade Agreements
30-Mar-2015     La Via Campesina
This April 17th 2015, La Via Campesina will focus its mobilizations on the impacts of Transnational Corporations and Free Trade Agreements on peasant and small-scale agriculture and national food sovereignty
LatAm states look to trade in bilateral deals for regional agreements
28-Mar-2015     Emerging Markets
Latin American countries are increasingly looking at the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as forming the foundation of a broader free trade area of Asia Pacific linking the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Push against investment rules in US trade deals picks up
12-Mar-2015     Reuters
Law professors from across the United States urged lawmakers to keep rules to protect foreign investors out of trade pacts on Wednesday, warning they would give big companies too much power.
Unions to fight trade pact by freezing political donations
11-Mar-2015     Wall Street Journal
Dozens of major labor unions plan to freeze campaign contributions to members of Congress to pressure them to oppose fast-track trade legislation sought by President Barack Obama , according to labor officials.