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  1. Negotiations

EU-Korea


In May 2007, the European Union and South Korea started negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement. It took effect on 1 July 2011.

This deal is part of the EU’s post-2006 "Global Europe" strategy to boost the competitiveness of EU corporations in the world by securing deeper commitments to neoliberal policies from trading partners, including expanded rights for European transnationals. In Korea, the European Union is trying to win equal, if not better, footing against US firms after the conclusion of the US-Korea FTA. (The EU makes stronger demands than the US on Korea in the areas of intellectual property, services, competition policy and environmental standards.)

Social movements from both sides mobilised against the deal’s potential impacts. One flashpoint of concern is for Korea’s agricultural sector, where pig farmers in particular are expected to suffer from an influx of subsidised EU pork as a result of this deal.

last update: May 2012
photo: European External Action Service - EEAS/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

EU grabs Korea trade pact that was ours
17-Oct-2009     Investors.com
"For Europe, the deal with Korea was easy. The US had already negotiated a trade pact of its own that was ready to go in 2006. Details of the EU-Korea treaty are nearly identical, so it's obvious the Europeans just Xeroxed the US-Korea pact and will now walk off with the spoils," write a US business journal.
EU, South Korea ink free-trade deal: commission
15-Oct-2009     AFP
The European Union and South Korea on Thursday signed a free trade deal which Brussels said would be worth 19 billion euros (28 billion dollars) in new trade for EU exporters.
EU FTA would increase trade by $98.4 billion
8-Oct-2009    
A free trade agreement between Korea and the European Union will eventually increase bilateral trade by about 20 percent if it is fully implemented, British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson estimated yesterday.
EU automakers urge Brussels to ditch SKorea trade deal
29-Sep-2009     AFP
European auto manufacturers on Monday urged Brussels not to sign a free trade agreement with South Korea due to be inked over the coming days.
S. Korea to build farming infrastructure in Tanzania
24-Sep-2009     Yonhap
South Korea will develop 100,000 ha of farmland in Tanzania and make inroads into European markets, thanks to the EU-Korean FTA, a state-run rural development corporation said Thursday.
Korea, Italy to expedite FTA
14-Sep-2009    
The leaders of South Korea and Italy agreed to expedite a free trade agreement between Seoul and the European Union yesterday in a summit in which culture eclipsed politics.
S Korea, EU to initial free trade deal next month
10-Sep-2009     Xinhua
South Korea and the European Union will initial their bilateral free trade agreement in October as the both sides completed legal reviews of the deal this week, Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Thursday.
Brussels divided over Korean trade deal
23-Jul-2009     BusinessWeek
An agreement between the EU and South Korea worth billions of dollars has been put on hold after politicians balked at trade conditions
Korea, EU conclude FTA talks
14-Jul-2009     The Korean Herald/ANN
Korea and the European Union Monday declared the conclusion of more than two years of negotiations for a free trade agreement.
EU trade deal would sell cars, hurt farmers
13-Jul-2009     Joong Ang Daily
The Korea-EU free trade agreement, if it crystallizes, is set to deal a blow to Korea’s agricultural sector, since the average tariff on imported farming products is a relatively high 41.6 percent.

Referenced sites

EU-Korea FTA SIA

The EU-Korea FTA Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) is intended to produce studies in order to provide a deeper understanding of the sustainability...