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Just Before Round of Negotiations on the Proposed “Trade in Services Agreement (TISA),” Wikileaks Releases Second Set of Updated Secret Documents

2 July, 2015
Today, Wikileaks released a second batch of the most updated draft texts on the proposed TISA, along with substantive analysis, on each of four cross-cutting annexes: Financial Services, Telecommunications, Electronic Commerce, and Maritime Transport. This follows on their release yesterday of texts on Domestic Regulation, the “Movement of Natural Persons,” Transparency, and Government Procurement, along with what WikiLeaks called the journalistic holy grail: the TISA’s Core Text.

Wikileaks Releases Updated Secret TISA Documents Just Before Negotiations - The Huffington Post, July 2, 2015

2 July, 2015
Today, Wikileaks released a second batch of the most updated draft texts on the proposed TISA, along with substantive analysis, on each of four massive services sectors: Financial Services, Telecommunications Services, Electronic Commerce, and Maritime Transport. This follows on their release yesterday of cross-cutting annexes on Domestic Regulation, the "Movement of Natural Persons," Transparency, and Government Procurement, and the Agenda for next week's negotiations, along with what Wikileaks called the journalistic holy grail: the Core Text of the proposed agreement.

Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) - Press release by Wikileaks, July 1, 2015

1 July, 2015
Today, 1500 CEST Wednesday, 1 July 2015, WikiLeaks releases a modern journalistic holy grail: the secret Core Text for the largest 'trade deal' in history, the TiSA (Trade In Services Agreement), whose 52 nations together comprise two-thirds of global GDP.

TISA Exposed: 'Holy Grail' of Leaks Reveals Detailed Plot for Corporate Takeover

1 July, 2015
Days ahead of another round of secret international negotiations, WikiLeaks on Wednesday released what it described as "a modern journalistic holy grail: the secret Core Text for the largest 'trade deal' in history." Fifty-two-nation Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) uses trade regulations 'as a smokescreen to limit citizen rights,' says labor leader

Wikileaks Releases Updated Secret Documents on TISA - OWINFS Press Release, July 1, 2015

1 July, 2015
Today, Wikileaks released the most updated draft texts on the proposed TISA, along with substantive analysis, on each of four cross-cutting annexes: Domestic Regulation, the “Movement of Natural Persons,” Transparency, and a previously-unreleased annex on Government Procurement. In addition they released the Core Text with accompanying analysis and the agenda for the negotiations next week. The negotiating texts are supposed to remain secret for five years after the deal is finalized or abandoned.

WikiLeaks Exclusive: Secret core text from Trade in Services Agreement negotiations

1 July, 2015
Leaked negotiations from a key trade deal show radical plans to deregulate services in Australia, including aged care and childcare.

New TISA leaks confirm PSI concerns on deregulation and secrecy: Public Services International (PSI), July 1, 2015

1 July, 2015
PSI, 1 July 2015 – Yet another series of leaks confirm PSI’s repeated concerns on the restriction of governments’ right to regulate in the public interest as well as underlining the lack of transparency surrounding the Trade In Service Agreement (TISA) negotiations.

Azevedo ideas in agriculture surface as Australia-Canada non-paper

29 June, 2015
A proposal floated by the World Trade Organization Director-General Roberto Azevedo during his meetings with seven major developed and developing countries to bring about convergence on the domestic support pillar of the Doha agriculture package has now surfaced in a non-paper issued by Australia and Canada, several trade envoys told the SUNS.

DG report to HOD raises more questions than answers

25 June, 2015
A report presented by the World Trade Organization Director-General Roberto Azevedo on Wednesday (June 17) about his consultations with select trade envoys in different configurations raised more questions than answers over the continued attempts to rescue one major developed country which remains opposed to a developmental outcome in the domestic support pillar of the agriculture package for concluding the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) trade negotiations by the end of the year.

Agriculture: Rev. 4 text must be basis, insist majority of South nations

22 June, 2015
A majority of developing countries, at an informal meeting of the Special Session of the WTO Agriculture Committee on Tuesday (16 June), underlined that the Rev. 4 draft agriculture modalities text should remain the basis for moving forward the negotiations in agriculture.

Strong support for LDC pharmaceuticals exemption request

17 June, 2015
A large majority of Members, mainly developing countries, have voiced strong support at the meeting of the TRIPS Council (9-10 June) for the request by the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for an extension of the transitional period with regard to the intellectual property protection of pharmaceutical products, which is set to expire on 1 January 2016.

Azevedo's new efforts on agri-subsidies to end Doha talks

17 June, 2015
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General, Mr. Roberto Azevedo, in his current drive to conclude the Doha Development Round at the forthcoming Nairobi Ministerial meet, appears to have floated Thursday a concept on domestic agriculture support, upending all the collective efforts hitherto on further reforms in Agriculture, mandated by the Agreement on Agriculture of the Marrakesh Treaty of 1994.

Setting the Record Straight on the TISA Leak

12 June, 2015
Press coverage across the world around Wkileaks expose of TISA negotiation texts, largely expressed concern over the impact of secret trade negotiations. However, Edward Alden's "WikiLeaks and Trade: A Healthy Dose of Sunshine," posted at the Council on Foreign Relations, stands out like a sore thumb among the other analysis. This response underlines that Alden's cursory "reading" of the texts exhibits a lack of understanding of the complexity of trade in services rules.

Developing countries denounce re-calibration approach to end DDR

10 June, 2015
Trade ministers of leading developing countries denounced at Paris on Thursday (June 4) attempts by major developed countries to force a decision on the so-called "re-calibration" approach to lower the level of ambition of the post-Bali work program to conclude the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations later this year, several officials said.

Azevedo issues sanitized version of "consultation" meetings

9 June, 2015
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mr. Roberto Azevedo, has issued to members what appears to be a sanitized version of his meetings and issues discussed with trade envoys in different configurations over the last one month. A glimpse of the closed-door consultations between the director-general and select trade envoys in various configurations were reported by different publications, including the SUNS.

Still no clarity on Doha re-calibration, simplification, says India

9 June, 2015
There is still no clarity on re-calibration, simplification and doabilities, India told an informal meeting at the level of Heads of Delegation (HOD) at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Monday (1 June).

Sharp polarisation at NAMA talks

8 June, 2015
Members of the World Trade Organization remained sharply polarized Monday over the "five approaches" put forward by the Chair of the negotiating group for further talks to finalize outcomes in market access on industrial products in the post-Bali work programme for concluding the Doha Round.

Nairobi MC can't end DDA without "credible" developmental outcomes

8 June, 2015
Kenya's foreign minister, Ms. Amina Mohamed, said here on Wednesday (July 1) that the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations cannot be concluded without "credible" developmental outcomes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)'s tenth ministerial conference in Nairobi later in the year, several trade envoys told the SUNS.

Situation unchanged in NAMA talks, reports Chair

8 June, 2015
The growing disquiet and discontent among the large majority of developing countries over the non-transparent manner in which talks over the post-Bali work programme are taking place at the WTO surfaced Monday at an informal meeting of the Negotiating Group on Market Access for Non-Agricultural Products (NAMA), as also at an informal Heads of Delegation (HOD) meeting in the afternoon.

Letter to WTO Members Seeking Extension of TRIPS Transitional Period on Pharmaceutical Produtcs for LDCs

5 June, 2015
Civil Society Letter to Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO): Request by least developed country members for an extension of the transitional period with respect to pharmaceutical products and for waivers from the obligation of articles 70.8 and 70.9 of the trips agreement