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GCC

Gulf Cooperation Council

Gulf countries, Turkey sign FTA deal
31-May-2005 China Daily
The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and Turkey signed an agreement Monday to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA).
Syria to sign free trade agreement with GCC
22-May-2005 Xinhua
Syria will sign a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in June, the official al-Thawra newspaper said Friday.
Experts question whether Arabs, S. Americans can deliver alternative to US domination
13-May-2005 Khaleej Times
South American and Arab leaders showed the US this week that they can be a force to be reckoned with - at least when it comes to talking tough. But whether they will be able to fulfill their pledges hinges on their ability to look beyond domestic agendas and resist American efforts to lure them away with lucrative bilateral trade deals.
Mercosur, GCC sign free trade zone frame agreement
11-May-2005 Xinhua
The signing of the agreement is regarded as the first concrete fruit of the South American-Arab summit taking place in Brasilia this week.
GCC-China FTA talks on ’fast track’
9-May-2005 Xinhua
Free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China are on fast track and expected to be completed before the end of 2006, the Times of Oman daily reported on Saturday.
Gulf states discuss economic tie-up, FTA with the US
8-May-2005
Finance ministers from six Gulf states met yesterday to discuss economic integration, including a unified currency, and a free trade agreement with the United States, an official said.
Lubna calls on Japan to enter into FTA talks with the GCC
2-May-2005 Khaleej Times
Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Economy and Planning, yesterday urged Japan to enter into free trade negotiations with the GCC states so as to bolster its trade and investments ties with the region.
From TRIPS-minus to TRIPS to TRIPS-plus: Implications of IPRs for the Arab world
1-May-2005
This article sheds light on the evolution of free trade agreements (FTAs) and the IPR protection incorporated within such agreements. The emphasis will be on the latest free trade and investment agreements concluded between the United States and the European Union (EU) with the Arab world and their “TRIPS-Plus” nature.
Framework agreement between Mercosur and GCC is ready to be signed
28-Apr-2005
The text of the framework of the free trade agreement between the Mercosur and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is ready to be singed, a Brazilian foreign ministry official has disclosed.
United States pursues more free-trade agreements in the Middle East
26-Apr-2005 Daily Star
Trying to entrench its economic and political ties in the region, and blaming the Gulf Cooperation Council’s slowness in devising region-wide economic measures, the United States is aggressively pursuing a number of free-trade agreements in this part of the Middle East.
US eyes bilateral FTAs in Gulf
17-Apr-2005
With free trade agreements, come political leverage. Realising this, the United States is moving fast to sign bilateral FTAs with Gulf countries - in the hope that Washington would be able to fill a vacuum because of the slowness of these Arab states in starting any regional trading mechanisms of their own.
China, Gulf states to almost triple trade over next five years
14-Apr-2005 AFP
China is in discussions with the Gulf Cooperation Council to establish a free trade agreement (FTA) which is expected to take effect this year. The GCC member states hold 45 percent of the world’s oil reserves and account for 20 percent of oil production, and an FTA would help China shore up its energy supplies.
Sustainability Impact Assessment of the negotiations of the trade agreement between the European Community and the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
14-Apr-2005 SIA
Study commissioned by the European Union
Measuring the economic impact of an EU-GCC free trade agreement
14-Apr-2005 CEPS
The new customs union and proposed EU-GCC free trade agreement will both appreciably expand trade and improve economic welfare in the GCC countries, with little significant economic impact on the EU.
FTA with EU looks more imminent than ever
11-Apr-2005 Zawya
The stage is being developed for a fast-track free trade agreement (FTA) between the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and 25-member European Union. Possibly, the EU has felt the urge to sign an FTA with the GCC now that the US has moved to reach bilateral agreements with individual GCC states.
GCC-EU pledge historic FTA
6-Apr-2005 Gulf Daily news
The GCC is on its way to securing a world first in terms of international economic and trade agrements. Talks with the European Union over the world’s first region-to-region Free Trade Area agreement will be completed by the end of the year, it was declared yesterday.
FTA talks to top GCC-EU agenda
5-Apr-2005
Progress in the Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations will top the agenda of the annual GCC-EU foreign ministers meeting being held today in Bahrain, which currently chairs the GCC.
AGCC and EU to sign FTA soon
1-Apr-2005 Khaleej Times
The long-standing row over European duty on aluminium imports from the Gulf, a major irritant in EU-AGCC trade relations, is likely to be resolved this year with both sides gearing up for the final round of talks to seal a free trade agreement.
Bahrain-Germany to sign BIT
3-Mar-2005 Gulf Daily news
An agreement on the protection and promotion of investments between Bahrain and Germany is due to be signed "very soon". Germany is also pushing for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union and the GCC.
An international political economy view of EU-GCC partnership
1-Mar-2005 UNED
After several years of being blocked, the signing of the EU-GCC FTA seems imminent. At the same time, the US is launching an ambitious proposal for a US-Middle East Free Trade Area in 2013, with Bahrain being the last country to adhere to a list that already includes Morocco and Jordan.