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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, TTIP could alter US textile & apparel trade
5-Jan-2014     Fibre2fashion
From the view of the textiles and apparel industries, all eyes will be on whether a yarn-forward provision has been included or not in the final documents.
Economy for life in our Earth community
20-Dec-2013     Focus
This living document is a result of an extensive process led by the Social Movements for an Alternative Asia (SMAA), Gerak Lawan, La Via Campesina and the supporters of the #EndWTO Campaign.
Debate over proposed global trade agreements
19-Dec-2013     Diane Rehm Show
The pros and cons of two trade agreements in the works, TPP and TTIP, from a US perspective.
'Free trade' and the death of democracy
18-Dec-2013     Al Jazeera
If these deals come into effect, multinational corporations will be empowered to regulate democratic states, rather than the other way around.
US Congress could OK trade promotion bill in early 2014, lawmaker says
11-Dec-2013     Reuters
he Obama administration could secure "fast-track" trade promotion authority from Congress early next year, a leading lawmaker said on Tuesday, handing it the means to secure two big new trade deals.
Vatican criticises TTP and TTIP
5-Dec-2013     KEI
At the WTO 9th Ministerial in Bali, Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi delivered a withering critique of the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
The alternative trade mandate
26-Nov-2013     TNI
The Alternative Trade Mandate has been developed in extensive civil society consultations all over Europe.
Developing countries are right to resist restrictive trade agreements
13-Nov-2013     The Guardian
International investment agreements are once again in the news. The United States is trying to impose a strong investment pact within the two big so-called "partnership" agreements, one bridging the Atlantic, the other the Pacific, that are now being negotiated. But there is growing opposition to such moves, writes Joseph Stiglitz.
Call to end the WTO and stop the new wave of Free Trade Agreements
23-Oct-2013    
More than 90 organizations and social movements are part of the Call to End the WTO and Stop the new wave of Free Trade Agreements. Join us in the EndWTO Bali Week of Action! Sign the call and register.
Does TTIP top TPP free-trade negotiations?
23-Sep-2013     Business Mirror
The transatlantic trade deal, if it does come about, seems potentially more far-reaching, even for Asia.

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...