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Belgium

Defiant Wallonia rejects deadline to save EU-Canada deal
19-Oct-2016 Politico
Wallonia’s Minister-President Paul Magnette has dealt a potentially fatal blow to EU trade policy by insisting that he will not support the EU’s landmark trade deal with Canada by a Friday deadline.
Belgian local parliament votes to block Canada trade deal
13-Oct-2016 EU Observer
Members of the parliament of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels voted a resolution that could block the signing of the EU-Canada free trade deal, Ceta.
Thousands protest in Brussels against US, Canada trade deals
21-Sep-2016 EurActiv
Thousands of protesters marched through Brussels to demand the European Union abandon planned transatlantic free trade deals.
Walloon Parliament rejects CETA
29-Apr-2016 Politico
The Walloon Parliament voted against ratification of the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement (CETA). The parliament is worried about social and environmental norms and the investor-state arbitration system.
Belgium’s Wallonia vetoes Brussels’ approval of EU-Canada free trade deal
14-Apr-2016 Sputnik
The government of Wallonia (French-speaking Belgian region) has refused to ratify the EU-Canada free trade agreement approved by the Belgian cabinet, the region’s minister-president said.
India, Belgium pitch for resumption of Free Trade Agreement talks
31-Mar-2016 India
India and Belgium pitched for resumption of the long stalled negotiations on the proposed India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) on "mutually agreed terms" as Prime Minister Modi and his counterpart Michel resolved to strengthen their bilateral ties.
Ministry of economy to assess TTIP impact in Belgium
12-Jul-2015 Belga
In a public invitation to tender, the Ministry of the Economy announced recently that it is to investigate the potential impact the free trade agreement between the United States and Europe (TTIP) would have on Belgium.
Flashmob choir interrupts TTIP congress
3-Jul-2015 Boing Boing
At a pro-TTIP congress where the Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister was promoting the treaty, a flashmob of attendees stood up singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" a rousing revolutionary song from Les Miserables.
TTIP: Why we are asking for an immediate suspension? With a sense of urgency !
1-Jul-2015 CNCD-11.11.11
Human rights organizations have joined the broad Belgian coalition of the trade union confederations, mutuality’s, consumer organizations and environmental and development umbrella NGOs and are asking for an immediate suspension of the TTIP negotiations.
What’s at stake: South Korea vs Lone Star Funds
30-Jun-2015 Wall Street Journal
For those uninitiated in the world of international arbitration, below is the primer of the issues at play in the South Korea-Lone Star Funds arbitration.
We don’t need the TTIP!
9-Feb-2015 La Libre
The heads of the two main Francophone Belgian unions express their clear reservation on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Ill-fated India-EU FTA gets new demand from Belgium
26-Nov-2013 Business Standard
Belgium has demanded greater access to public procurement market for large-scale contracts under the proposed India-EU free trade agreement (FTA), whose fate already hangs in balance. The country also stressed on further tariff reduction on goods by India.
Korea-Belgium investment agreement, a hole for investor lawsuits
1-Feb-2013 Kyunghyang Shimun
The Korean government is fighting a ISD suit by US based private equity fund Lone Star. The ISD suit was established through Lone Star’s paper company in Belgium and initiated through an investment treaty between Belgium and South Korea.
Lone Star’s arbitration claim was possible because of a deficient agreement
1-Feb-2013 Kyunghyang Shimun
The article discusses a blunder in the Korean government in failing to include an anti-paper company clause that is now allowing companies to use the Belgium investment treaty as a backdoor for ISD suits.
South Africa: BITs in pieces
20-Oct-2012 FT
South Africa has terminated a bilateral investment treaty with Belgium and Luxembourg in the first of a series of planned shreddings of post apartheid-era agreements which are coming up for renewal.
Lone Star is back in town, armed with the investor-state dispute system

5-Jun-2012
In a May 31 press release, the US private equity fund Lone Star said it was planning to request investor state dispute (ISD) arbitration for losses suffered due to "unlawful" interference by the South Korean government.

Belgium urged to support efforts for Pak-EU FTA
7-Dec-2009 Pakistan Times
Belgium, being the Capital of Europe and centre of European politics and policy making, should support the efforts for signing free trade agreement between Pakistan and European Union, says the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Barbados and BLEU sign investment treaty
5-Jun-2009 Caribbean Net News
Barbados and the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) now have a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT).
Jordan, Belgium to discuss trade ties
13-Oct-2008 MENAFN
During this visit, the text of a bilateral investment treaty will be initialled by Maen Nsour, chief executive officer of Jordan Investment Board, and the Belgian ambassador in Jordan, Jo Indekeu.
Rwanda, Belgium to sign pacts
18-Apr-2007 AllAfrica.com
The Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs is expected in Rwanda this week to seal trade and investment frameworks with the Rwandan government.