Articles

Committee: Rafidah skirting main FTA issues news report of our farmers coalition questioning our Minister of International Trade.

16 January, 2007
Malaysiakini.com
International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz has not addressed the main concerns surrounding the US-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), claimed a regional grouping of fishermen and farmers today.

French trade view irks Mandelson

14 January, 2007
BBC News
Peter Mandelson has accused France of being 'needlessly defensive' over farm subsidy cuts as he and other officials try to revive global trade talks.

SA may play role in Canada-US trade tiff

14 January, 2007
Mathabo le Roux, businessday.co.za
IN A move analysts say could help restart stalled world trade negotiations, Canada has taken the US to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over trade-distorting maize subsidies.

G-33 asks World Bank to tweak ?flawed? paper on special products

12 January, 2007
The Financial Express
The World Bank has come under a torrent of criticism from the G-33 group, comprising India and 45 other developing countries, for its paper, which called for raising agricultural prices substantially through special products (SPs)

G-33 blasts draft World Bank paper on Special Products as anti-development

11 January, 2007
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt of India
The G-33 group of 46 developing countries had sent a detailed critique on the initial draft paper authored by Maros Ivanic and Will Martin for the World Bank, pointing out that the paper was fundamentally flawed in its assumptions and methodology, ignored the reality of the prevailing agrarian structures in most developing countries and misinterpreted the proposed operation and impact of Special Products (SPs).

The Implications of Dumping of Agricultural Products in Asia: Asian Farmers? Untold Misery

11 January, 2007
PAN AP
The push for tariff reduction worldwide along with the pressure to eliminate production subsidies, which has been largely commanded by the World Trade Organization (WTO), has brought serious repercussions to the dominantly agrarian Asian economies.

Mr. Falconer and the Farm Negotiations

11 January, 2007
Washington Trade Daily
As 2007 starts off as a 'make-or-break' year for the languishing Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations, the chair of the current agriculture negotiations - New Zealand's Crawford Falconer - feels strongly that a deal is do-able despite many unresolved issues.

G-33 warns WB on ?special products? paper

11 January, 2007
The Economic Times, India
The G-33 group of developing countries, including India and 46 other countries has warned the World Bank that its

NAFTA Anxiety: Trade agreement has not produced expected gains in Mexico?s economy

10 January, 2007
The Washington Post
As NAFTA

NAMA - Not An Easy Row to Hoe

10 January, 2007
Washington Trade Daily
As the negotiating climate for the Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations receives a boost from two major players - the United States and the European Union - increased activity in the nonagricultural market access negotiations is expected in the weeks ahead

US FTA: Will we lose out, too?

10 January, 2007
by Jacqueline Ann Surin, The Sun
BY tomorrow, the fourth round of negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA) between Malaysia and the US would have concluded in San Francisco.

Bush’s Trade Power Probably Won’t Be Extended, Congressman Says

10 January, 2007
By Mark Drajem, Bloomberg
Congress probably won't extend President George W. Bush's authority to negotiate trade agreements aimed at lowering tariffs and farm subsidies, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee said today.

20,000 fishermen, farmers protest against FTA

9 January, 2007
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz, malaysiakini.com
A signature campaign in Kedah

Canada launches WTO case over US subsidies

8 January, 2007
By Eoin Callan, Financial Times
Canada has launched a dispute at the World Trade Organisation over the use of "trade-distorting" agricultural subsidies by the US.

Mr. Falconer and the Farm Negotiations

7 January, 2007
Washington Trade Daily
As 2007 starts off as a make-or-break year for the languishing Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations, the chair of the current agriculture negotiations - New Zealands Crawford Falconer - feels strongly that a deal is do-able despite many unresolved issues.

Canada Seeks Talks Over Subsidies

7 January, 2007
New York Times
Canada has asked the World Trade Organization to start talks between it and the United States about American farm subsidies in general and its support of corn growers in particular.

David and Goliath: argument against the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries

6 January, 2007
Jacques Berthelot, Solidarit
The European Union (EU) hides itself behind the so-called WTO constraints to impose on the poorest countries in the world, the ACP countries (ACPs) in which Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for 94% of the population, the drastic remedy of a bilateral free trade under the pretext that 34 years of non reciprocal trade preferences did not prevent them from becoming poorer.

Non-tariff barriers will hit South Asia’s agri exports

26 December, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma, www.financialexpress.com
South Asian countries exporting agri products may not benefit much from the proposed tariff reduction in developed countries in accordance with the Doha Round of negotiations.

FTA talks hit snag over trade laws, autos, drugs

7 December, 2006
Korea Herald
Korea and the United States hit a deadlock in three of the most sensitive areas in talks for a free trade agreement, raising doubts about meeting a March 2007 deadline in concluding the negotiations.

ALBA: Venezuela?s Answer to free trade

6 December, 2006
By Diego Azzi and David Harris
The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) represents the first attempt at regional integration that is not based primarily on trade liberalization but on a new vision of social welfare and equity.