

Mega-regional FTAs

Image credit: Ana María Palacio/pacificallianceblog.com
In the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008, several large new trade deals have been proposed to supposedly boost production, trade and growth outside the frame of the World Trade Organisation. These deals are called “mega-regionals” because they are not between two countries alone and involve large shares of world trade or investment. The following fall into this category:
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) between the US, Japan and 10 other countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru and Vietnam) (click here for TPP texts);
the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the 28-member European Union and the US (click here for TTIP texts) ;
the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement between the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and six countries ASEAN already has FTAs with (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea) (click here for RCEP texts);
the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) being hammered out between 23 countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, EU, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the US) (click here for TiSA texts); and
the Tripartite FTA (TFTA) merging three African regional economic communities: the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC).
the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), next stage of the TFTA in which all 54 African Union states are expected to be member
The TFTA was signed in June 2015 and the TPP in February 2016, but are not yet in force. All the other deals are under negotiation.
In this section we collate leaks and texts of these agreements.
October 2016
Articles
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20-Apr-2018 ZLEC - Texte consolidé (mars 2018)
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20-Apr-2018 AfCFTA - Consolidated text (March 2018)
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9-Mar-2018 New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade TPP - Trans-Pacific Partnership final text (2015, updated Nov 2017, updated Mar 2018)
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22-Mar-2017 KEI RCEP - draft chapter on trade in services (Dec 2016)
As leaked by KEI -
22-Mar-2017 KEI RCEP - draft chapter on competition (Dec 2016)
As leaked by KEI -
22-Mar-2017 KEI RCEP - draft chapter on investment: temporary safeguard measures (Dec 2016)
As leaked by KEI -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - small group non paper on ecommerce (Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on telecommunications services (Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on air transport services (3 Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on delivery services (9 Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on domestic regulation (15 Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on electronic commerce (Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on international maritime transport services (14 Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on movement of natural persons (8 Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on localization provisions (Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on state-owned enterprises - revised text - summary of changes (Oct 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on state-owned enterprises additional (Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft annex on state-owned enterprises (Sep 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - non paper on telecommunications services (Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round -
29-Jan-2017 TiSA - draft text on transparency (6 Nov 2016)
from November 2016 negotiating round