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Mexico sees possible EU trade deal as NAFTA talks drag on
Mexico and the EU have reached agreements on areas like e-commerce, but agricultural market access and product origin labeling remain significant sticking points.
Data is the new oil, so big tech is pushing for a digital free trade deal
Decades ago it was pharmaceuticals, oil and food. Now tech giants want data to be the next frontier in the free trade agenda.
Iran-EEU trade deal to come into effect on January 21
The preferential trade agreement between Iran and Eurasian Economic Union will be in effect for three years.
India’s top court allows Vodafone to initiate second arbitration over $2 bln tax demand
India’s top court allowed Britain’s Vodafone to initiate a second arbitration process under an India-UK investment pact .
EU’s Barnier rules out full EU-UK trade pact in time for Brexit
There is “no possibility” that Britain and the European Union can conclude a free trade agreement by the time Britain leaves in March 2019, EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barner said.
MEPs overwhelmingly ratify EU-Kazakhstan landmark partnership agreement
MEPs approved a landmark partnership deal with Kazakhstan, the EU’s first Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with a Central Asian country.
What the European-Union Mercosur trade agreement means for copyright
Many of the intellectual property provisions raised by the European Union in this agreement are bad for internet users.
EU stalls on new Mercosur trade offers, delaying deal: source
Trade talks between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc will likely extend into next year after European negotiators said they needed more time to respond to improved offers.
Investment laws of ASEAN countries: A comparative review
No ASEAN country grants general consent to investor–state arbitration in its investment law.
Trade agreements that impact seed laws in Africa
Free trade agreements represent a powerful source of pressure to privatise seeds and people’s knowledge connected to seeds.
Trump and GOP tax cut is handing corporations like Ford a giant incentive to move offshore
Giant corporations got what they wanted out of Republicans on taxes, now they’re lobbying the Trump administration hard to retain their NAFTA privileges.
Globalisation: time to look at historic mistakes to plot the future
Trade deals were hammered out in secret by multinationals at the expense of workers and citizens. Benefits must be shared if the global economy is to work.
New report shows that trade tribunals are threatening the right to water
A new report finds that the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) process, included in NAFTA and other trade and investment agreements, is threatening the right to water around the world.
UNCITRAL and ISDS reform: Pluralism and the plurilateral investment court
The investment treaty system is likely to be marked by the co-existence of investor-state arbitration and an international investment court, leading to pluralism rather than a dichotomous either/or choice or a clear before-and-after moment.
UNCITRAL and ISDS reform: Not business as usual
This Working Group was not “business as usual” because it was much more government-led than is typical of UNCITRAL Working Groups and it started out with a vote instead of conforming to UNCITRAL’s typical approach of working by consensus.
Sitting International Court of Justice judges worked as arbitrators in at least 90 investor–state cases: study
IISD researchers identified 90 investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) cases in which sitting ICJ judges have worked–or are currently working–as arbitrators. The true number may be higher given that many ISDS cases are not public.
Chile interested in joint partnerships with Pakistan
A Joint Feasibility Group will work to formalize the FTA within six months’ period.
KORUS FTA having negative impact on South Korean agriculture
The damage to the overall agricultural sector during the five years since the KORUS FTA took effect has been “broad and deep” across nearly all products.
Maldives ’open doors’ in 64 fields for China
The controversial China-Maldives free trade agreement (FTA) is expected to open the doors of trade in 64 different fields in Maldives for China while the Asian monolith will open trade doors in 98 fields to Maldives.
Taiwan asks Japan for support in seeking membership of CPTPP
Taiwan asked Japan for support in its efforts to join a new regional trade arrangement called the "Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership" (CPTPP) to contribute to regional prosperity.