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FTA Contributes to WTO Public Forum Discussion
On 2 October 2015 and for the third consecutive year, FTA and EuroCommerce jointly organised a panel debate at the WTO Public Forum in Geneva on “Continuing the success story: Which trade policy to make global value chains work?”
Minimum Wage in Myanmar Supports More Sustainable Labour Practices
The approval of a minimum pay in the country is one of the last steps taken by Myanmar towards improving social compliance and promoting better business practices.
FTA Introduces its Sustainability Services to Spanish Businesses and Stakeholders
FTA and the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE) held a meeting in Madrid to provide an overview and updates on the work done by FTA and its initiatives in the field of sustainable supply chain management.
FTA Contributes to EU Debate on Bangladesh’s Sustainable Development
On 22 September FTA was invited to take part in a meeting at the European Parliament to exchange views on the progress made by the country and to assess the implementation of the Sustainability Compact established by the European Commission in 2013.
FTA Strengthens Cooperation with China
An FTA delegation recently met with the Chinese Ambassador to the EU to discuss the current framework for trade and tackle persisting barriers that hinder international commerce. This meeting underlined the next steps to reinforce constructive trade relations, economic growth and development.
FTA Joins Call for Union Customs Code that Supports Business
FTA, along with several trade associations, has signed a Joint Statement directed at the European Institutions urging them to consider the impact of current proposals to update the Union Customs Code Delegated Act and the Implementing Acts that could potentially reduce the competitiveness of European businesses, hindering economic recovery and innovation.
Latest Landmark Ruling on REACH to Increase Burden on Retail Sector
Christian Ewert, FTA Director General, evaluates the landmark judgement by the European Court of Justice ruling that the concentration threshold of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) in complex products must be calculated at the component level.
BSCI Integrates Quality Control Checks to Improve Audit Quality
BSCI has introduced as part of its Audit Integrity Programme a new Quality Control (QC) audit to evaluate the performance of auditing companies conducting BSCI audits.
FTA Discusses Sustainable Trade with EU Officials in China
Christian Ewert, FTA Director General, and Joyce Chau, FTA China Representative, had a fruitful meeting with the Head of the European Union's Office to Hong Kong and Macao.
FTA Goes Social!
FTA is pleased to announce its new presence on social media platforms to improve and increase its outreach.
FTA Contributes to Public Consultation for EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreement
In light of plans for a comprehensive update of the EU-Mexico trade agreement, FTA took part in a public consultation which ran for several weeks until 31 August.FTA contributes to EU consultation on ‘Sustainability Impact Assessments’
FTA has recently contributed to the public consultation opened by the European Commission towards updating the ‘Handbook for Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) of EU trade negotiations’BSCI and its Participants Take Action in Support of Andy Hall
BSCI has joined an international movement in support of human rights activist Andy Hall by asking its participating companies to use their influence and request Natural Fruit Co. and subsidiaries to drop the charges against Mr. Hall.
Earth Overshoot Day: Raising Awareness of Humanity’s Increasing Ecological Footprint
13 August is Earth Overshoot Day 2015, which means that in less than eight months we have exhausted nature’s annual budget and for the remainder of the year we will maintain our ecological deficit by drawing down local resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We will be operating in overshoot.FTA Succeeds in the Withdrawal of “List Rules” from Union Customs Code
In its efforts to simplify customs procedures within the EU, FTA has succeeded in achieving the withdrawal of a proposal to include “list rules” to determine non-preferential rules of origin for all imports - except for a selected range of products - in the delegated act of the Union Customs Code (UCC).
Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA): Promoting EU Environmental Objectives through Trade
On 29 June, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, together with Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete also met over 200 participants to discuss opportunities and challenges in the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies.New Resources: BEPI Introduction Webinars, Information Brochure and More
BEPI is pleased to announce the launch of new training and information material as well as a fresh new web presence, to help you and your producers familiarise yourself with the benefits of the initiative.
Chemical Management: A Complex Environmental Challenge for Businesses
Driving long-lasting environmental improvement in your global supply chain - while increasingly critical to long-term business success - represents a major endeavour, of which chemical management is a core part.
Coming in October 2015: BEPI Producer Workshops in China
To support producers in China to improve their environmental performance, BEPI is offering three one-day introduction workshops to be held in October 2015 in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wenzhou. This new series builds on the success of BEPI producer workshops held in China in December 2014 and represents a great opportunity for producers from all sectors to have their questions answered directly by the BEPI team and local environmental experts.
One Year Anniversary: BEPI Shares Achievements During FTA General Assembly 2015
One year after the launch of FTA’s Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI) during the 2014 FTA General Assembly, Stuart Harker, BEPI Managing Director, took to the stage to deliver a progress report highlighting BEPI’s concrete achievements and next steps with members. As part of the 2015 FTA General Assembly which took place on 11 June in Brussels, a presentation shared the achievements over the past year.
BEPI Newsletter No. 3 Now Available
FTA’s Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI) has just published the Summer 2015 edition of its quarterly newsletter. Read more about its recent efforts to support companies to enhance environmental performance in their global supply chains.FTA welcomes EU-Vietnam trade deal, but raises concern on Rules of Origin
Following the announcement of an agreement on free trade deal between the EU and Vietnam on 4 August, Christian Ewert, Director General of the Foreign Trade Association (FTA), welcomed the conclusion of the talks, since the deal will certainly boost bilateral exchange and bring substantial gains for European retailers sourcing from and investing in Vietnam.