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Haydn W

EU, China Reach Tentative Deal to End Telecom Equipment Tariff Threat - WSJ - 3 views

online.wsj.com/...pment-tariff-threat-1412870909

Wall Street Journal Tariff China EU

shared by Haydn W on 28 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • The European Union and China have reached a tentative deal that will end the threat of punitive import tariffs on Chinese telecommunications equipment makers
  • Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and the EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht are expected to meet in Brussels on Oct. 18 after the Asia-Europe summit meeting in Milan to complete the agreement, an EU official said.
  • The agreement would sweep away the cloud of tariffs that has been hanging in particular over Huawei, which has become a major supplier of equipment to European telecommunications companies.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, in 2013 said it was ready to start investigations into imports of mobile telecommunications equipment made by Huawei and ZTE, claiming the two companies received unfair subsidies from the Chinese government and were “dumping” their products onto the EU market at rock-bottom prices.
  • The agreement will create an entity to review the market-share of Chinese equipment manufacturers in the EU and European companies
  • China has also committed to further discussions on the hefty loans and loan guarantees that the government gives to Huawei and ZTE to finance their exports, mostly to the developing world, the official said.
  • That represents a modest victory for the EU in an area that is highly sensitive for the Chinese government.
  • Haydn W on 28 Oct 14
     
    The European Union have reached an agreement with China to end the threat of EU tariffs on Chinese telecommunications equipment. The tariff was going to be imposed as a form of protectionism to protect the European manufactures Ericsson, Nokia and Alcatel against the Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE. The Chinese firms are able to produce equipment cheaper than the European firms, due to more abundant natural resources, but also, crucially through subsidies from the Beijing government. The deal reached on October 9th, sees the Chinese companies granted a share of the market, but not access to it fully, as this is reserved for the European firms, to protect EU economic growth in such a tempestuous time, showing that, forms of protectionism still exist in the market, despite this agreement.
Haydn W

BBC News - US and EU 'make progress' in free trade area talks - 2 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...business-29482892

BBC EU USA Free Trade

shared by Haydn W on 21 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • US and EU 'make progress' in free trade area talks
  • Officials from the United States and the European Union say they have made progress as they seek to sweep away trade barriers.
  • If successful an agreement would create the world's biggest free trade zone.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • The planned agreement is known as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP.
  • Mullaney said they have "progressed from discussing general approaches to the spadework of reviewing the many proposals that each side has put on the table."
  • They are trying to do that by eliminating tariffs (taxes on imported goods) and removing what Mr Mullaney called "non-tariff obstacles".
  • But while trade officials get on with detail, some of the general principles continue to generate vocal opposition.
  • Perhaps the most controversial area is the provision for foreign investors to go to an international tribunal for compensation if a government breaks the rules in a way that harms the company's interests.
  • he opposition to this idea has been taken up by the German government, so it remains uncertain whether it would appear in any final agreement.
  • Other critics are concerned that an agreement will drive down standards of consumer protection and food safety and will cost jobs.
  • They also complain that the texts that negotiators are working on are not made public.
  • Haydn W on 21 Oct 14
     
    Talks are taking place between the EU and the USA to create the worlds biggest free trade area. In many goods the US is seen to have an absolute advantage in producing many goods but they also rely on European countries to provide many components to US businesses. This trade deal, although opposed by Unions and other activitists is seen by many to be vastly beneficial to the two parties.
John B

Troubled TTIP isn't the only 'trade' takeover busting our sovereignty | openDemocracy - 0 views

www.opendemocracy.net/...keover-busting-our-sovereignty

Trade bloc

shared by John B on 20 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • John B on 20 Jan 15
     
    This article deals with a potential agreement between US and EU where completely free trade is supposed to be the main aim. This agreement would mean that the free trade between US and EU would be the largest free trade zone.
Fiete M

Ireland to exit international bailout by December, confirms PM - 0 views

www.independent.co.uk/...ember-confirms-pm-8877335.html

Equilibrium Ireland Banks Allocated Efficiency EU Bailout

shared by Fiete M on 13 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Fiete M on 13 Oct 13
     
    Please excuse if I am wrong because I am admittedly not completely sure if I am interpreting this right. I believe that this article tells us that Ireland's banks up to now were in no state of allocated efficiency because the equilibrium had to be manually shifted by the EU paying money to the irish banks. This however has changed now because they are leaving the bailout program which shows that they are trying to get onto their own feet again, and no longer need help from the EU. From this I can conclude that the Irish banks are at least moving towards a state of allocated efficiency again.
Aleksi B

Spain unemployment to take 10 years to recover - report - RT Business - 1 views

rt.com/...employment-decade-recovery-684

spain unemployment

shared by Aleksi B on 15 Apr 14 - No Cached
  • Aleksi B on 15 Apr 14
     
    In this article stated that Spain's largest bank made a claim saying the unemployment will take over a decade just to fix. Spain are in a large amount of debt as they rose from last year and the Spanish research and development spending is 70% below the EU level
Amanda Anna G

Ukraine, EU to Launch Free Trade Zone if Russia Violates Brussels Agreements | Politics... - 1 views

en.ria.ru/...-Russia-Violates-Brussels.html

free-trade

shared by Amanda Anna G on 14 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • KIEV, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - Kiev and Brussels will launch a free trade zone if Russia violates the Brussels agreements on implementation of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement, the acting Ukrainian economic development and trade minister said Tuesday.
  • Earlier, the Russian side also said it would have to introduce measures to protect its market should Kiev or Brussels begin openly or secretly implementing the economic part of the Association Agreement, thus breaking the agreements reached in Brussels mid-September.
  • Amanda Anna G on 14 Oct 14
     
    This article is about free trade, as Kiev and Brussels will launch a free trade zone, only if Russia violated the Brussels agreements on implementation of the Ukraine- European Union Association Agreement. 
Mariam P

EU, Singapore wrap up free-trade talks - 0 views

www.msn.com/...ar-BB9Er47

free trade

shared by Mariam P on 20 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • Mariam P on 20 Oct 14
     
    This article is about a free-trade agreement between European Union and Singapore. The two sides reported that even the controversial chapter on investment protection had been sorted out.
Pip Dop

Judy Asks: Time for Greece to Leave the Euro? - 0 views

carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope

government debt indebtedness relief Germany Greece

shared by Pip Dop on 22 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • Pip Dop on 22 Mar 15
     
    Debt forgiveness is not exclusively reserved for developing nations: this article discusses whether Greece should leave the Euro. It mentions the fact the Germany and other EU nations have avoided outright debt forgiveness because the terms are conditional, and Greece is not willing to commit itself to the policies it is required to introduce in return for debt relief.
Haydn W

Greece's leader warns Merkel of 'impossible' debt payments - FT.com - 0 views

www.ft.com/...b5-11e4-982a-00144feab7de.html

Foreign Debt Greece EU

shared by Haydn W on 24 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • Greece’s leader warns Merkel of ‘impossible’ debt payments
  • Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, has warned Angela Merkel that it will be “impossible” for Athens to service debt obligations
  • The warning, contained in a letter sent by Mr Tsipras to the German chancellor and obtained by the Financial Times, comes as concerns mount that Athens will struggle to make pension and wage payments at the end of this month and could run out of cash before the end of April.
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  • just before Ms Merkel agreed to meet Mr Tsipras on the sidelines of an EU summit last Thursday and invited him for a one-on-one session in Berlin
  • Mr Tsipras warns that his government will be forced to choose between paying off loans, owed primarily to the International Monetary Fund, or continue social spending.
  • He blames European Central Bank limits
  • “Given that Greece has no access to money markets, and also in view of the ‘spikes’ in our debt repayment obligations during the spring and summer . . . it ought to be clear that the ECB’s special restrictions when combined with disbursement delays would make it impossible for any government to service its debt,” Mr Tsipras wrote.
  • He said servicing the debts would lead to a “sharp deterioration in the already depressed Greek social economy
  • Mr Tsipras was rebuffed in efforts to secure quick financing from either the ECB or eurozone lenders at Thursday’s Brussels meeting
  • In an interview, Luis de Guindos, Spanish finance minister, said his eurozone counterparts would not sign off on any new bailout funding until a full set of approved reforms was passed
  • Mr Tsipras’s five-page letter is particularly critical of the ECB
  • The Greek prime minister insisted the ECB should have returned to “the terms of finance of the Greek banks”
  • Far from going easier on Athens, the ECB is considering whether to give its guidance to Greek banks more authority by making it a legally binding requirement not to add to their T-bill holdings.
  • He also criticised the ECB for only increasing the amount of emergency central bank loans to Greek lenders “at shorter intervals than normal and at rather small increments”
  • Mr Tsipras wrote that Athens was “committed to fulfilling its obligations in good faith and close co-operation with its partners”, he also warned Ms Merkel that a failure to find short-term funding could lead to much bigger problems.
Haydn W

ECB's Draghi says euro zone must 'complete' monetary union | Reuters - 0 views

www.reuters.com/...b-draghi-idUSKBN0K90IW20141231

Reuters EU ECB Monetary Union

shared by Haydn W on 19 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • ECB's Draghi says euro zone must 'complete' monetary union
  • (Reuters) - Euro zone countries must "complete" their monetary union by integrating economic policies further and working towards a capital markets union, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said.
  • Draghi said structural reforms were needed to "ensure that each country is better off permanently belonging to the euro area".
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  • He said the lack of reforms "raises the threat of an exit (from the euro) whose consequences would ultimately hit all members"
  • He said an economic union would make markets more confident about future growth prospects -- essential for reducing high debt levels -- and so less likely to react negatively to setbacks such as a temporary increase in budget deficits.
  • Unifying capital markets to follow this year's banking union would also make the bloc more resilient.
  • Haydn W on 19 Jan 15
     
    This article, from news agency Reuters, outlines Mario Draghi's, head of the European Central Bank (ECB), statement in Italy this week, regarding the Eurozone, a form of monetary integration. Draghi outlined the need for European countries to complete the monetary union and integrate policy to avert another crash. 
Haydn W

What are multinationals doing to champion rights of millions trapped in modern-day slav... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...ations-compliance-human-rights

Multinational Corporations The Guardian Fair Trade Slavery

shared by Haydn W on 10 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • What are multinationals doing to champion rights of millions trapped in modern-day slavery?
  • With almost 21 million people working in forced labour conditions in the global economy, companies are being made to clean up their act
  • In a world of complex supply chains, migrant workers, sub-suppliers and a constant squeeze on costs, corporate leaders and their stakeholders are keenly aware of the risk of labour exploitation.
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • No industry or region is fully insulated from the social deficit which has emerged from the rise of the modern global economy.
  • Given the influence and impact that multinational corporations have, there is significant scope for corporate leaders to champion reform and action in this area.
  • However, the ILO estimates that 44% of those working in forced labour are also victims of trafficking (pdf).
  • The fight to eradicate the scourge of forced and child labour, sometimes referred to as modern-day slavery, has re-emerged as a defining issue in this century
  • The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that almost 21 million people are currently working in some form of forced labour, with 14.2 million in economic activities such as agriculture, construction, domestic work or manufacturing (pdf).
  • Beginning in California in 2012, following effective campaigning and lobbying to then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, mandatory corporate disclosure of a company’s non-financial activities has been on the rise.
  • From US President Obama’s executive order on trafficking and federal procurement, to the UK Modern Slavery Bill’s recent amendment to include supply chain disclosure provisions, to the EU’s adoption of a non-financial reporting directive, compulsory transparency around global corporate practices – including human rights, labour and social impacts and policies – is the latest tool being employed by legislators to place social expectations on corporations.
  • multinational corporations have grown significantly in terms of size, assets, resource control and revenue, not to mention societal influence.
  • This growth has been accompanied by growing expectations by society and government.
  • It is, of course, critical to recognise that the global corporate supply chain can be a force for good.
  • However, with their multiple levels of subcontracting, particularly throughout impoverished regions where labour laws are non-existent or not enforced, global labour and product supply chains also provide fertile ground for inhumane practices and working conditions.
  • The United States Department of Labor, for example, has produced a list of 136 goods produced in 74 countries using forced labour, child labour, or both.
  • Many leading companies already understand that their strategies shape the lives of millions. The most forward-thinking believe that business is an integral pillar of society and recognise that the people they rely on at home and abroad are central to building sustainable and lasting businesses.
  • And since mandatory disclosure requires all multinationals to take notice and action rather than just the industry leaders, this ultimately helps level the playing field.
  • Some believe supply chain transparency laws do not constitute any real change from the prevailing corporate-driven model for CSR, while others oppose increased regulation and oversight as unnecessary state intervention, believing that industry led efforts have the best chance of success.
  • it is a combination of corporate leadership and regulation in this area which will help ensure all market participants rise to acceptable standards.
  • The trend away from voluntary reports towards mandatory social reporting for global corporations is here to stay and may represent a first step towards increased legislative requirements
  • No matter where one believes the solutions lie, the ultimate goal is a global economy free from forced labour, trafficking and other abuses. For the millions of victims who go out into the world seeking work in the hope of building better lives, we must commit to seeking the best path forward.
Mariam P

Russians boost foreign-currency deposits in October -central bank data - 6 views

www.reuters.com/...deposits-idUSL6N0T841O20141118

currency values

shared by Mariam P on 24 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • Mariam P on 24 Nov 14
     
    Russians had 3.856 trillion roubles' ($82.27 billion) worth of foreign-currency deposits as of Nov. 1, compared to 3.421 trillion roubles on Oct. 1, an increase of more than 12 percent. Their rouble deposits fell by 0.3 percent to 13.829 trillion roubles over the same period, according to the central bank.
  • Pip Dop on 29 Nov 14
     
    The article presents an insight on what seems to be the most significant economic effect of the sanctions the EU has imposed on it in response to their invasion of the Ukraine.
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