More Trade News in Brief Week 37 (7 – 13 September 2015)

New DTA Protocols

Switzerland has signed protocols to its double taxation agreements (DTAs) with Norway and Albania.

See more following the link.

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EFTA and Georgia Start FTA Talks

The member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Georgia held a first round of negotiations towards a free trade agreement (FTA).

Check for more here.

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New Zealand Seeks Signature of Gulf FTA

New Zealand is looking for a free trade agreement with the Gulf States.

Check for more here.

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More Trade News in Brief Week 12 (16 – 22 March 2015)

* Switzerland, EU Ink New Savings Tax Pact

Switzerland and the European Union (EU) have initialled an agreement on the automatic exchange of tax information (AEOI). Account data will be collected from 2017, with the first exchange scheduled for 2018.

See more clicking here.

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* EU: Combatting Corporate Tax Avoidance

The European Commission presented a package of tax transparency measures as part of its ambitious agenda to tackle corporate tax avoidance and harmful tax competition in the EU. A key element of this Tax Transparency Package is a proposal to introduce the automatic exchange of information between Member States on their tax rulings

Read more here.

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* China and US Telecoms Giants Lead Global Patent Activity in 2014

According to the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) annual review of international patent filings, a leading Chinese telecoms giant overtook a Japanese firm as the largest applicant last year, and China and the US together accounted for 87 per cent of the total growth in filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Under that system, some 215,000 applications were filed in 2014, a 4.5 per cent increase over the previous year, WIPO said in a news release.

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* WTO: Assistance in Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health

Five agencies and their partners operating a programme to help developing countries meet international standards on food safety and animal and plant health have approved plans for 2015–2019 designed to further strengthen safe trade.

The decision will allow the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to continue to provide assistance to developing countries,

The STDF was set up in 2004 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO), and is run by the five partners together with donor countries and representatives of developing countries.

Check here and here for more.

 

News about FTAs

 

* Australia signs FTA with Japan

 

Japan and Australia signed a historic free trade agreement.

 

Read more here.

 

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* South Korea & Australia Inked FTA

 

South Korea and Australia signed a comprehensive, high level FTA as per their comments.

 

Check here for more.

 

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* Mexico & Panama – FTA

 

Mexico and Panama signed a free trade agreement (FTA). Panama’s desire is to join latter to the Pacific Alliance (PA) trade bloc.

 

Read more here.

 

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* Mercosur & EFTA to Start FTA Talks

 

EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) and Mercosur member states (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela) will start discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA) in the coming months.

 

Find more following the link.

 

 

More Trade News in Brief Week 37 (9 – 15 September 2013)

 

* Chile and Thailand – FTA

 

Chile and Thailand have closed a free trade agreement which they will sign on October 4.

 

Check for more here.

 

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* EU Concerns about Russian Pressure on Eastern Partnership Countries

 

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution that deplores different types of pressure being exercised by Russia on the EU’s Eastern neighbours.

 

See more following the link.

 

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* Guernsey Signed TIEAs with Switzerland and with Hungary

 

Guernsey signed Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) with Switzerland and with Hungary.

 

Follow the link for more.

 

New International Services Trade Agreement (ISA)

 

A group of 20 trading partners – the US, Canada, the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Israel, Pakistan and Turkey – will start soon negotiations on a new International Services Agreement (ISA).

 

Please find more information following the next link.

 

New Taxes Agreements

–          Canada and Switzerland have reached an agreement on their double tax agreement (DTA) related to the last updated Article 25, standard developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

–          France and Andorra agreed to discussed a new comprehensive DTA between both countries.

–          Greece announced plans to negotiate a tax agreement with Switzerland.

More Trade News in Brief – Week 30 (16–22 July 2012)

* South Korea/Switzerland TIE Protocol

 

The revised Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) between South Korea and Switzerland, including provisions on the exchange of tax information (TIE), is to go into effect on July 25, 2012.

 

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* ICC Published a Guide to New Rules of Arbitration

 

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has release “The Secretariat’s Guide to ICC Arbitration” offering a detailed article-by-article commentary on the 2012 Rules and more.

 

Please refer to the next link. 

 

 

 

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* Tunisia and OECD Strengthen Relations

 

Tunisia signs multilateral agreement on fiscal co-operation and strengthens its links with the OECD.

 

More here.

More Trade News in Brief – Week 27 (25 June – 1 July 2012)

* US to Cooperate With Switzerland & Japan On FATCA

 

25 June 2012, Washington

 

After the agreements reached with France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, US is pursuing  the implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) with Switzerland and Japan.

 

 More here.

 

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* UNCTAD & WIPO Start Regular Consultation

 

25 June 2012

 

The United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)  and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have decided to establish of a regular consultation mechanism between the two organizations to strengthen consultation and coordination on issues of mutual interest.

 

Further information here.

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* OECD – International Migration Outlook 2012

 

27 June 2012

 

OECD published the International Migration Outlook 2012 which provide an analysis of recent developments in migration movements and policies in OECD countries.

 

        More here.

 

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* ICC Publishes Banking Commission Official Opinions

 

28 June 2012, Paris

 

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) published  the volume “Banking Commission Official Opinions” on regard of the impact and isuues related to the latest ICC rules on documentary credits, collections and demand guarantees in daily practice.

 

For further information please click here.

 

Switzerland Adopts Bank Regulation Package (Basel III)

12 June 2012

 

Switzerland’s Federal Council has adopted a package of measures which will obligate the banks to comply with the new rules (Basel III) of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision from January 1, 2013.

 

More here.

Austria and Luxembourg Block EU’s Plans on Savings Tax Agreements

17 May 2012

 

Austria and Luxembourg have rejected the European Commission’s plans to negotiate new and stronger savings tax agreements with Switzerland, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino.

 

The European Commission’s desire is to conclude a treaty and strengthen common instruments with third countries against tax evasion, to abolish banking secrecy and to ensure an automatic exchange of data with third states.