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bilateralism & multilateralism

EU seeks to complete trade deals in two years
1-Dec-2006 European Voice
The European Commission hopes to complete bilateral trade agreements with South Korea, India and ten south-east Asian countries within two years at the latest, according to negotiating mandates for trade agreements which it is expected to adopt on 6 December.
Bilateral trade agreements and the world trading system
22-Nov-2006
Bilateral Trade Agreements (BTAs) have been proliferating. Why are they so popular? What are their impacts on multilateralism and the world trading system? This papers attempts to answer these questions.
Transcript: Susan Schwab interview
18-Nov-2006 FT
Susan Schwab, US trade representative, on the prospects for turning the 21 economies of Apec into a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP); current talks about bilateral trade deals in Asia; the expiration in June next year of trade promotion authority (TPA); and the expected signing of a bilateral trade agreement between the US and Russia.
Ministers endorse Multilateral Fisheries Partnership Agreement
15-Nov-2006 Fiji Village
Pacific Island Countries now have a draft Multilateral Fisheries Partnership Agreement (MFPA) to negotiate with the European Union (EU) as part of the region’s Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA).
Swiss look to free trade after WTO failure
24-Oct-2006 swissinfo
Switzerland is looking to boost its free trade accords with other countries following the collapse of world trade talks, says the country’s top economics official.
Kenyan Minister warns against bilateral trade deals
20-Oct-2006
The Kenyan Trade Minister, Mukhisha Kituyi, today spoke up against the danger of countries running to negotiate bilateral and regional trade deals with the impasse of the Doha negotiations at the World Trade Organisation.
WTO’s Lamy warns about bilateral deals
18-Oct-2006 Houston Chronicle
Poor nations will lose out if major global trade players opt for bilateral deals instead of working toward a global trade pact, WTO director general Pascal Lamy said Tuesday.
Prospects for IT-enabled services under a Indo-US FTA
12-Oct-2006
ITES/BPO services is an important and growing component of India’s trade in services with the US. While the Indian government has implemented several measures to support the growth of this sector, Indian companies face various barriers in the US market such as anti-outsourcing regulations, restrictive visa/work permit regime and concerns relating to protection of sensitive data.
Services liberalization in the new generation of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs): How much further than the GATS?
11-Oct-2006 WTO
A comprehensive overview of services liberalization commitments in the new generation of preferential trade agreements as compared to prevailing GATS commitments and Doha Round offers.
Mandelson plans bilateral trade deals despite WTO setback
10-Oct-2006 The Guardian
The European Union will use bilateral trade deals to "road test" measures deemed too sensitive to be included in the stalled global WTO liberalisation negotiations, Peter Mandelson said last night.
Bilateral agreements in EU trade policy
10-Oct-2006 DG Trade
Speech by Peter Mandelson at the London School of Economics on 9 October 2006
Mandelson announces EU bilateral trade drive
4-Oct-2006
Often caught between the whims of protectionist and liberal member states, the European Commission on Wednesday firmly tied its colours to a liberal mast proposing a trade policy revamp focused on new markets and stamping out protectionism.
ADB official calls for Asia-wide free trade area
3-Oct-2006
Major obstacles block Asia’s prospects of becoming a common market, but a region-wide free-trade area is a realistic goal, an Asian Development Bank official said.
Merkel for EU Agreement with US
2-Oct-2006
With the Doha Round of trade talks threatening to come to naught, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come up with a plan B: a free-trade zone with the US. Such a zone would encompass 60 percent of the global economy.
Children of the WTO
28-Sep-2006
World Trade Organization talks collapsed in July 2006 over strong internal disagreements on agricultural policy. While social activists throughout the world cheered, policy-makers in the U.S. and Canada started aggressively pursuing bilateral trade accords or Free Trade Agreements [FTAs].
Global trade no longer hostage to US consumers
28-Sep-2006
Europe, Japan and emerging economies are weaning themselves from dependence on the American consumer, and economists say it’s just in time.
Philippine congress urged to investigate Japan-RP FTA
27-Sep-2006
The recently signed free trade agreement between the Philippines and Japan may have given economic concessions to Japan that go beyond Philippine commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO), a Filipino opposition legislator today warned.
IP rights under investment agreements: the TRIPS-plus implications for enforcement and protection of public interest
27-Sep-2006 South Centre
One of the issues that has recently started to influence the negotiations for new investment agreements involves the question of the status of IP rights and the impact of investment agreements on the rights, obligations and regulatory discretions of countries under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
France eyes bilateral trade deals after WTO failure
22-Sep-2006 Reuters
France intends to target the Gulf, India, Asia and the Mediterranean basin in a push towards bilateral trade deals following the collapse of global free trade talks, Trade Minister Christine Lagarde said on Tuesday.
The Philippine struggle against neoliberal globalization
21-Sep-2006
A PowerPoint file presented at the FTA Workshop in Bangkok on July 28, 2006.