Free Trade Agreements

HUA HIN, Thailand: Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) want to negotiate as a group with the European Union for a proposed free-trade agreement (FTA), Indonesia’s trade minister said Sunday.

MANILA, Philippines – The European Union (EU) will not rush negotiations for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the Philippines as it is bent on reaching a “quality” agreement.

MANILA, Philippines –  The head of the European Union panel in the first negotiating round on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and the Philippines said yesterday that the existence of this framework agreement on cooperation should be the basis to enter into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) commitments.

A NONGOVERNMENT organization (NGO) called on the Arroyo administration to set aside its political agenda and reorient the Philippine economy in preparation for the worst global financial crisis in decades.

FREE-TRADE AREA ARRANGEMENT ON THE HORIZON   Philippine and US Trade officials have intensified talks on trade and investment relations between the two countries during the recent Trade and Investment Facilitation Agreement (TIFA) meeting held in Washington, D.C., a Trade department report said.

BRUSSELS — Trade unionists and employers associations from developing Asian countries expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of social dialogues with developed European countries in settling industrial disputes and creating decent work for all, saying economic, political and social disparities were the main stumbling blocks.

MANILA (AFP) —Trying to set up a grand European Union-style economic community for Asia “does not appear feasible” the president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Thursday.

The Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement is expected to cost the national coffers as much as P4.75 billion in the first year of its implementation, according to a study conducted by the Department of Finance.