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Govt takes first step to join China-led trade bloc
17-Oct-2024 The Daily Star
Bangladesh has initiated the process to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This move is primarily driven by the need to secure preferential trade benefits after graduating from the least developed countries (LDCs) status in 2026.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt finalize investment protection agreement
16-Oct-2024 Madamasr
Egypt and Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday the formation of a new cooperation council and the forging of an agreement to encourage and protect mutual investments
EU, seeking far-flung friends, holds first summit with Gulf states
16-Oct-2024 Reuters
Talks on an EU-GCC free trade agreement, which began 35 years ago, have been suspended since 2008. The UAE has urged the EU to start talks on a separate trade pact with it.
ASEAN to ink upgraded trade deal with China in 2025
16-Oct-2024 Jakarta Globe
ASEAN intends to sign its upgraded trade pact with China in 2025, according to the Southeast Asian bloc’s secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn.
EU plans cash help for farmers to overcome French resistance to Mercosur deal
16-Oct-2024 Politico
The European Commission is working on a new budget fund to compensate farmers for any negative impact from the EU-Mercosur agreement. A French diplomat described the proposal as “an interesting option.”
EU-Andean Countries: Council greenlights the conclusion of the trade agreement with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador
15-Oct-2024 European Council
The Council has adopted a decision to conclude the trade agreement between the European Union and its member states, on one hand, and Colombia and Peru, on the other, as well as a decision to conclude the protocol concerning Ecuador’s accession to this agreement.
Spain urges fellow EU members to suspend free trade agreement with Israeli regime
15-Oct-2024 Press TV
Spain has called on fellow members of the European Union to suspend a free trade deal between the EU and Israel, amid the regime’s ongoing aggression in the Gaza Strip.
Indonesia and Switzerland seeks to accelerate investments under new bilateral investment treaty
15-Oct-2024 Lexology
The 2022 BIT offers several important advances compared to the 1974 BIT, providing greater certainty and protection for investors.
EU farmers reaffirm opposition to Mercosur deal as talks resume
15-Oct-2024 Agriland
Several EU-wide organisations representing farmers across several sectors have reaffirmed their opposition to the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, as talks between both sides have restarted.
After intra-EU BITs and the ECT, the EU needs to abandon extra-EU BITs—for legal, energy and climate policy, and political economy reasons
14-Oct-2024 CCSI
EU members should terminate extra-EU BITs. To facilitate the process, the EU could spearhead an instrument similar to the plurilateral agreement to terminate intra-EU BITs or based on the draft treaty language on termination proposed to UNCITRAL.
Interim govt moves to access RCEP
14-Oct-2024 The Financial Express
The Bangladesh interim government has strongly started processing to access the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), an emerging economic bloc encompassing the Asia-Pacific region that represents one third of global GDP.
Philippines, EU to resume FTA talks
14-Oct-2024 Philstar Global
The Philippines and the European Union (EU) are set to resume next week the negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), which the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) wants to conclude by 2027 to ensure continued preferential market access to the bloc.
French court clears Cyprus on FBME case
14-Oct-2024 ekathimerini.com
France’s highest court has brought an end to the $1.4 billion legal battle over the resolution of FBME Bank, ruling that the Central Bank of Cyprus acted prudently and did not breach any obligations under a bilateral investment treaty between Cyprus and Lebanon.
Malaysia in talks for new free trade deals to blunt impact of geopolitical conflicts — Zafrul
14-Oct-2024 The Edge Malaysia
Malaysia is currently negotiating several new free trade agreements that would help to diversify its trade and investments, and mitigate the impact of conflicts in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Drop ‘irrational standards’ in trade talks, Goyal advises EU
14-Oct-2024 Hindustan Times
Commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Friday advised the European Union to shun imposing “irrational standards” such as carbon tax, which he said act as trade barriers.
UK, Switzerland to begin negotiations on FTA
14-Oct-2024 The Print
The current UK-Switzerland trade deal, largely based on a 1972 EU-Swiss deal, excludes digital trade and data flows.
‘Isolated’ France faces political storm over EU-South American trade deal
14-Oct-2024 Politico
An already weakened Macron risks outrage from farmers as the rest of the EU races to get Mercosur deal done.
ExxonMobil sues the Netherlands over gas field closure
11-Oct-2024 SOMO
The multinational disagrees with the decision that gas production in the Dutch province of Groningen will be shut down early.
Italian Deputy PM pledges to help pull through EU-Mercosur FTA
11-Oct-2024 MercoPress
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and top diplomat Antonio Tajani told a group of Brazilian businesspeople in Sao Paulo that they are working to accelerate the process and reach a positive conclusion.
Macau and mainland sign new upgrade to CEPA trade agreement
11-Oct-2024 Macau Business
Macau and mainland China authorities signed a new version of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.