» ASEAN-India FTA to be signed
The India-Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) FTA is to be signed at the upcoming ASEAN summit in Thailand between February 27 and March 1 2009. Here after are some recent news articles on the negotiations

Crucial ASEAN bills pass in rowdy house session
The Nation | January 28, 2009
Thai lawmakers yesterday approved a total of 41 crucial ASEAN agreements after a stormy House session was suspended twice. Among the pacts were free-trade agreements between ASEAN and India, China, Australia and New Zealand.

India ASEAN likely to ink free trade pact on Feb 26
The Economic Times | January 27, 2009
A FTA between India and South-East Asia will be signed at the upcoming ASEAN summit, in Hua Hin, Thailand, if the Thai parliament approves the pact.

ASEAN, India to ink FTA soon, boost trade by 30%
The Jakarta Post | January 27, 2009
ASEAN and India concluded the FTA (trade in goods) negotiations in August, 2008, under which Indian tariffs will reduce to zero on more than 3,500 items. 600 Indian agricultural products will be exempted. Negotiations on trade in services and investment flows will now begin.

India eyes opportunities galore
NST Online | January 27, 2009
Insight into India-Malaysia trade relations.

RP exports to India seen to rise with implementation of ASEAN-India FTA
Philippine Information Agency | January 23, 2009
Insight into Philippine's possible exports to India. Agro-processed products, manufacturing and information technology services, are expected to increase with the implementation of the ASEAN-India FTA.

India, ASEAN cooperation will help tide over crisis: Yong
The Hindu | January 25, 2009
Pitching for increased trade between India and Southeast Asian nations, former secretary-general ASEAN Ong Keng Yong has said that the two should cooperate to tide over the global crisis.

» Resistance to EU-CAN FTA
The EU-CAN (Andean Community of Nations, comprising of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) FTA negotiations are finding roadblocks as the perspectives of the governments of Bolivia and Ecuador are too progressive to be agreeable to the EU. In an effort to yet impose an FTA in the region, the EU has now shifted to a divisive strategy of bilateral negotiations with individual countries in the region. The governments of Colombia and Peru are playing along, with strong resistance from civil society.

"We demand that the European Union and the governments of Peru and Colombia stop promoting a split in the Andean Community of Nations (CAN)"
HAS, ALAI | May 12, 2008
Statement of the Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA): "We, social movements and civil society organisations of Europe, Latin America and elsewhere in the world, express our profound concern at the decision of the European Commission –- on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its 27 member states, Colombia and Peru, to negotiate bilateral trade agreements, which we fear will prompt a de facto split of the Andean Community (CAN)"

Indigenous Resolution on the CAN-EU FTA
CAOI [Spanish acronym], ALAI | 17 November, 2008
Organizations of indigenous and original peoples, farmers, trade union and people's movements in the Andean countries met in the city of Lima to analyze the resulting crisis in the Andean Community. They called for an halt to the divisiveness of the EU in the CAN, declared that FTAs with USA and EU are destroying the Andean world and the CAN and called for an integration by the Peoples for Good Living and Plurinational States

Bolivia intent on commercial suicide?
Nick Buxton, TNI | June 22, 2007
An article on Bolivia's government position in the frame of the EU-CAN FTA negotiations.

» Trade in Services and the EU-India FTA
In November 2006, an agreement was reached in the European Parliament on the "Services Directive" to be implemented over a 3-year period ending December 2009. This Directive aims to create a free market for the Services Sector and its objectives include removal of services trade barriers between EU member-countries.. To understand various aspects of the Directive and evaluate its impact on India's trade in services, FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) is organising a seminar "EU Services Directive: What Does It Mean for Indian Service Sector?", on February 10th, 2009, 11.00 am at FICCI, Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi (FICCI seminar announcement).