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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

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.
How can BRICS survive amidst TTIP?
5-Jan-2015     Financial Express
BRICS can either pursue a BRICS FTA to balance the TTIP or they can maintain the status quo, argues Geethanjali Nataraj.
CETA draft: Important positions taken by the French National Assembly also relevant for TTIP/TAFTA and the EPAs
18-Dec-2014     Mediapart
On the 23 November 2014, the French National Assembly adopted a resolution whose importance cannot escape the attention of citizens who are opposed to the EU-Canada, EU-US and similar trade agreements.
Conference: For a citizen's trade agenda: STOP TTIP, CETA, TISA
2-Dec-2014    
9 December in the European Parliament in Brussels, organised by GUE/NL
US unions to fight back against right-wing attacks and trade deals
17-Nov-2014     Left Foot Forward
Following the US mid term elections, unions are mobilising opposition against trade agreements, including a major campaign against ‘Fast Track’ legislation, TPP and TTIP.
After its victory, Team Bush resumes its crusade for free trade
7-Nov-2014     AFP
Reassured by the renewed confidence of the American voters, President George W. Bush is going to pursue, even accelerate his free trade strategy in next four years by giving special support to bilateral agreements.

Referenced sites

Third World Network

TWN's website is a good source of information and analysis about what's happening within the multilateral trade system (WTO, UNCTAD, G77, etc).

WorldTradeLaw.net

WorldTradeLaw.net offers a free library of current trade news and resources; a database of dispute settlement tables and statistics; and a user-friendly sear...