Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’’s Government is today debating the most essential issues for a free trade agreement with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

At the Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Work Programme on Small Economies and instructed the WTO Secretariat to provide relevant information and factual analysis for discussion among Members in the CTD’s Dedicated Session on “The challenges and opportunities experienced by small economies when linking into global value chains in trade in goods and services”.

As part of its commitment to a more transparent trade policy, the European Commission has published a report summarizing the progress made during the latest round of trade talks with Japan.

The European Free Trade Association, which comprises Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein, has published its 56th Annual Report, which includes details of the bloc’s free trade agenda.

The East African Community (EAC) has postponed ratification of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) from March to December this year, after failing to agree on the contentious rules of origin and tariffs.

Vietnamese food exporters have been urged to improve production so that products can meet new regulations set by importing countries, experts have said.

Canada's hectic international trade agenda is about to get even busier, as it takes new steps toward formal free trade negotiations with Mercosur, the trading bloc that includes the key South American markets of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, CBC News has learned.

The EU's Trade Commissioner has said she is certain that the EU will reach a free trade agreement with the UK, despite a number of pre-conditions being placed on negotiations starting.

A five-year-old U.S.-South Korean trade deal could be improved to increase access for American vehicles and deter currency manipulation, but changes will not necessarily shrink the U.S. trade deficit with the Asian export powerhouse.

The three-year-old free trade agreement with Vietnam will allow South Korean companies to further increase their auto, steel and petrochemical exports on tax removal or cuts, customs experts said Thursday.