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Free trade policy

No more EFTA power play against the South!

250 organisations from 60 countries are calling on Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein in an open letter to stop imposing strict plant variety protection laws on the countries of the global South.

Political article

Mercosur negotiations behind closed doors

Anger is widespread in Mercosur countries over free trade negotiations with the EU. It is feared that industrial jobs will disappear to make way for a commodity-exporting economy. Things are not much different in the case of EFTA.

Mercosur and EFTA: Transparency requested!

Four Swiss NGOs and Friends of the Earth Uruguay ask State parties to guarantee transparency in the free trade negotiations between Mercosur and EFTA.

WTO and the fourth industrial revolution

The 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires shall discuss – among other topics – the liberalisation of E-commerce. The digital divide is likely to deepen even more. The Alliance Sud position.

Article as analysis

TISA: Negotiations at a standstill

Even if the TISA negotiations were to be continued in 2017, they are still fraught with problems, especially regarding the liberalization of public services.

Political article

Switzerland and TISA: the official position

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) has replied to our opinion, published in Le Temps on December 6th. We publish it here, with the counter-reply and the arguments of its author, Isolda Agazzi.

Political article

WTO Conference: Crumbs for the South

The WTO Ministerial Conference held in December 2015 in Nairobi has acknowledged the division among Members over the Doha Round as well as "new issues".

No free trade with China without human rights

Switzerland negotiated a free trade agreement with China between January 2010 and July 2013. Swiss NGOs, including Alliance Sud, urged the Federal Council to ensure that the agreement include respect for and promotion of human rights.

Sarawak Malysia Holz

Article as analysis

Did someone say foreign policy coherence?

Switzerland is negotiating a free trade agreement with Malaysia in the framework of the EFTA. The topics should also include the rights of indigenous people, environmental degradation and rampant corruption.