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Changing partners in commerce
1-Apr-2012
The calls to boycott American goods and services in the wake of the recent resolution at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) have highlighted the fact that Sri Lanka’s export trade is heavily dependent on a narrow slew of countries.
Financial services to be kept out of SAFTA talks: Government
1-Apr-2012
The government has decided to exclude financial services from the SAARC agreement on trade in services, following strong objection from the Reserve Bank of India, or RBI. The central bank has argued that India has already allowed access to foreign banks under the World Trade Organization agreement.
India, Pakistan to start discussions on import duties cut
1-Apr-2012
India and Pakistan will soon begin discussions on a preferential trading arrangement to lower import duties on an array of goods. The talks will be held under ambit of South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) signed eight years ago between member states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a senior Indian official said on Saturday.
New Canadian strategy for Americas expected
1-Apr-2012
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is poised to unveil a reinvigoration of his government’s muddled Americas strategy when he meets with hemispheric leaders next month.
’We can’t even manage to send a lemon to the US,’ CFK
1-Apr-2012
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner questioned US president Barack Obama’s recent decision to suspend trade benefits for Argentina, while complaining that “we can’t even manage to get one of our lemons to enter the US market.”
VN attends dialogue towards TPP signing
1-Apr-2012
Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong underscored Vietnam’s determination to speed up the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement at a dialogue between ambassadors of the TPP member countries and the US New Democrat Coalition, in the US on March 28.
Key needs to get tough over trade deal
1-Apr-2012
Prime Minister John Key will be disappointed to leave Seoul without a firm commitment from Lee Myung-bak to finalise the bilateral free trade negotiations before the South Korean President leaves office this year.
Unbalanced free trade deals costing us jobs
1-Apr-2012
Rebuilding a strong, vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector in Canada by signing more free trade agreements is like saying our society can be healthier if only we ate more chocolate. It’s backwards logic.
European Commission/CARIFORUM Agreements to Boost Regional Integration
1-Apr-2012
According to a news release from the CARICOM Secretariat, the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) and the European Commission (EC) on Wednesday (Mar. 28) signed three financial agreements designed to boost the Caribbean Region’s ability to deliver tangible results of integration to its populace.
EU bemoans pace of EPA implementation
1-Apr-2012
The European Union (EU) representative to the region on Thursday pulled no punches as he criticised regional governments and the private sector for moving slowly to give effect to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was signed more than three years ago.
No Korean FTA today - Gillard
1-Apr-2012
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she will raise the topic of free trade with the South Korean president, but a final deal could be some way off.
Diversion of FTA benefits
1-Apr-2012
Importers and distributors, not consumers, are the chief beneficiaries of free trade agreements (FTA). Korea badly needs drastic reform in the distribution channels as consumers are victims of price gouging.
India to oppose Vodafone’s move to invoke BIPA pact
31-Mar-2012 Economic Times
The Indian government is likely to oppose any move by Vodafone Plc to invoke the India-Netherlands Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA) if it is forced to cough up Rs 12,000 crore in taxes on the grounds that the investment was routed through several step down firms based in different countries and that the treaty does not cover tax disputes.
Europe, Singapore in final stages of free trade pact negotiation
30-Mar-2012 Bloomberg
The European Union and Singapore are in the “final stages” of negotiations on a free trade agreement, said Marc Ungeheuer, ambassador and head of the delegation of the EU to the city state.
Voda seeks Netherlands treaty to snub govt, will others follow?
30-Mar-2012 First Post
Fearing the Indian government will use new tax laws to trap it back around Rs 12,000 crore in taxes, the world’s largest mobile operator, Vodafone, may invoke a bilateral investment treaty between India and the Netherlands to avoid doing so.
Kyiv, Brussels to initial Association Agreement
30-Mar-2012 Interfax
Ukraine and the European Union are to initial the Association Agreement on March 30. The negotiation process on the document took five years.
EU-Canada FTA (CETA) Annex 2 - EU offers to Canada (draft Feb 2012)
30-Mar-2012 RCIQ
EU-Canada FTA (CETA) Annex 1 - EU offers to Canada (draft Feb 2012)
30-Mar-2012 RCIQ
2G: Telenor plans to invoke India-Singapore treaty
29-Mar-2012 Economic Times
Norway’s Telenor will seek ’compensation for all investment, guarantees and damages’ if the Indian government fails to sort out issues related to its licence cancellation within the next six months, the company said.
US suspends Argentina from trade preference scheme
29-Mar-2012 ICTSD
Trade frictions are on the rise between Washington and Buenos Aires, after US President Barack Obama announced that the US would be suspending Argentina from its Generalised System of Preferences programme for failure to pay arbitration awards in two disputes involving US investors.