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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

The United States and the new regionalism/bilateralism
25-May-2004    
Current U.S. trade policy stresses establishing free trade areas (FTAs) with partners spanning the globe. Motivations include enhancing goods and services trade; stimulating investment flows; extending standards on intellectual property rights, labor, and the environment; and addressing geopolitical concerns.
US trade negotiations in the 108th Congress
11-May-2004    
The Bush Administration has made bilateral and regional free-trade agreements (FTAs) more important elements of U.S. trade policy, a strategy known as “competitive liberalization.” This strategy is designed to push forward trade liberalization simultaneously on bilateral, regional and multilateral fronts.
Intensifying Free Trade Negotiating Agenda Calls for Better Allocation of Staff and Resources
11-May-2004    
US Government Accounting Office's January 2004 assessment of US's FTA negotiating plans and whether it has the means to carry them out.
Drugs May Tie Up FTAs
11-May-2004    
Disagreements over trade in pharmaceuticals may bog down pending free trade agreements between the U.S. and foreign nations.
America will not wait for the won't-do countries -Zoellick FT op-ed
11-May-2004    
The final minutes of the World Trade Organisation session in Cancun were symptomatic of the whole meeting: we stalled after representatives of the least developed, African, and Caribbean countries reported that their colleagues had rejected any negotiation to update the 1947 rules on customs procedures.
Regionalism and the multilateral trade system
20-Apr-2004    
Regional trade agreements (RTAs) are an integral part of international trade, accounting for almost half of world trade and expected to grow further in the next few years. These agreements operate alongside global multilateral agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO), and have both positive and negative effects.
Over 15 FTAs to be concluded worldwide in 2004
2-Apr-2004     Over 15 FTAs to be concluded worldwide in 2004
World nations are expected to conclude at least 15 FTAs and to initiate negotiations for more than 10 new FTAs in 2004, the Trade Research Institute (TRI) of Korea International Trade Association (KITA) projected. The TRI also predicted FTA negotiations would be active in American and Asian regions as in 2003.
Asia led new FTAs concluded in 2003
2-Apr-2004     Asia led new FTAs concluded in 2003
Amid the delay in DDA [Doha Development Agenda] negotiations, in 2003 FTA movement by major nations, in particular was very brisk. As for newly concluded FTAs in 2003, Asia let the world with seven agreements, followed by America region with six. Meanwhile, FTAs were under negotiation in America (17), Asia (12), Europe (12) and Oceania (4).
Bombarded by bilateral trade and investment agreements
30-Mar-2004    
Bilateral agreements are made between two countries, or a grouping of countries (like the European Union) and another country. Throughout the world, many governments have signed, are negotiating, or contemplating new bilateral free trade and investment agreements.
Analysis: U.S. Seizing Initiative in Pushing Trade Liberalization
24-Mar-2004     Bulatlat.com
Writing in the Financial Times (Sept. 22, 2003) after the collapse of the fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick lamented the “broader culture of protest” that characterized negotiations at Cancun, correctly (if sarcastically) noting that “countries that feel victimized are unlikely to agree to anything.”

Referenced sites

21st Century Trade Agreements: Implications for Long-Run Development Policy

A publication of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The paper examines the policy space available under various free t...

#A18DoA - Global day of action to defeat free trade and investment treaties

Website for the global day of action to defeat free trade and investment treaties #A18DoA

Alianza Social Continental

La Alianza Social Continental es un foro de organizaciones y movimientos sociales progresistas de las Américas, creado para intercambiar información, definir...

ICC

International Chamber of Commerce

Movimientos.org

A multilingual (English, Spanish, Portuguese) website focusing on social movements and their campaigns, including those against bilateral and regional FTAs.

Pambazuka

In this week's edition of the Emerging Powers News Round-Up, read a comprehensive list of news stories and opinion pieces related to China, India and other e...

People over profit

People Over Profit is a campaign network that unites peoples movements and NGOs across the globe to stop free trade agreements (FTAs) and corporate plunder, ...

Peoples Global Action

In February 1998, movements from all continents met in Geneva to launch a worldwide coordination of resistances to the global market, a new alliance of strug...

Regional/Multilateral Integration Agreements

Selected research papers on regional trade agreements, from internationaleconomics.net

SOMO

SOMO links the negotiations and rules on international trade and investment with the actual conduct of corporations within these rules and agreements.

South Centre

An intergovernmental organisation of developing countries

Stop fast track!

10 days to stop fast track in the United States: Jan 22 - 31 2014