News on Trade

The parliament of canton Geneva has voted for a resolution to exclude palm oil and its derivatives from free trade negotiations with Indonesia and Malaysia. Five other Swiss cantons have launched similar measures. Exercising its right of cantonal initiative, Geneva canton’s parliamentarians voted unanimously for a resolution to this effect. Around sixty deputies have signed the text. Christina Meissner, an …

Friends of the Earth | 19 April 2016 Investment Court System put to the test In autumn 2015, the European trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, launched a proposal to give far- reaching rights to foreign investors in all future EU trade agreements. The proposal came in the midst of growing public concern over the inclusion of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism …

Farming risks being used as bargaining chip in EU trade deals by Jez Fredenburgh Concern is mounting that agriculture could be used as a bargaining chip in two large free-trade deals currently being negotiated by the EU. Protections for EU agriculture have been a key sticking point in negotiations with the US in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) …

The Guardian | 15 April 2016 Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems by George Monbiot Imagine if the people of the Soviet Union had never heard of communism. The ideology that dominates our lives has, for most of us, no name. Mention it in conversation and you’ll be rewarded with a shrug. Even if your …

The Bangkok Post | 18 April 2016 Indonesia-EU free trade talks take big step forward By Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata Indonesia and the European Union (EU) are one step closer to realising a free trade agreement after talks to discuss the scope of documents outlining the items they want to include in the negotiations. “I am very glad that there is …

Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: The Ministry of Trade is ready to restart the negotiation of Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU CEPA). The trade agreement is expected to boost competitiveness of Indonesian products in Europe. The negotiation is scheduled to be launched during President Joko Widodo’s visit to Brussels in the end of this month. Meanwhile, Lembong along with Minister of …

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong expressed optimism that Indonesia-European Union trade negotiations would be kicked off soon. Lembong believes that the implementation of the economic cooperation would realize government’s nine-priority agenda in a bid to increase people’s productivity and competitiveness in the international market. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has been scheduled to launch the negotiation during his working visit …