Status of U.S. Free Trade Agreements

FTA Negotiations Done But Not Through Congress
Colombia	Talks concluded Feb. 27, 2006, and signed Nov. 22. On May 10, 2007, a deal was struck between Congressional leadership and President Bush to make changes to the labor and environmental provisions that also applied to Peru, Korea and Panama. President Bush attempted to force a vote on the trade pact without Congressional leadership support. In response, on April 10th, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 224 against 195 to suspend a vote on the Colombia FTA until Speaker Pelosi decides the time is right. A vote during the "lame duck" Congressional session after the elections remains a possibility.
Panama	Negotiations were completed on Dec. 19, 2006 and signed June 28, 2007. The deal was completed before President Bush lost his "fast track" authority that expired July 1, 2007, meaning the deal falls under fast track rules and can only be voted up or down with no ammendments. The May 10th deal (see Colombia) applies to the Panama FTA.
South Korea	Signed June 30, 2007 just before Bush's "fast track" aurthority expired (see Panama). The May 10th deal (see Colombia) applies to the Korea FTA.
U.S. Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
Israel	Took effect September 1985.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with U.S., Canada, and Mexico	Took effect 1994 and is now being expanded under the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America negotiated in total secret. There are currently 9 functioning SPP committees (energy, security, communications, and more) that are on-going, mostly staffed by people from corporations, and being negotiated under the U.S. Homeland Security department.
Jordan	Signed Oct. 2000.
Singapore	Took effect May 2003.
Chile	Took effect Jan. 1, 2004.
Morocco	Signed Aug. 2004.
Australia	Took effect January 1, 2005.
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)	Passed in the U.S. Congress July 2005 by a 217-215 margin. Deal is between the U.S. and five Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua ) and the Dominican Republic. Costa Rica was the last country to ratify the FTA after a first ever popular referendum on an FTA was held on Oct. 7, 2007, giving a victory to the "YES" campaign. U.S. intervention, corruption, and the realities of an internationally financed campaign led to its passage when the "NO" campaign was showing a strong lead the weeks prior to the vote.
Baharain	First FTA in the Persian Gulf – took effect June 1, 2006.
Oman	Negotiations completed Jan. 19, 2006. Passed U.S. House on July 20, 2006 with a vote of 221 for and 205 against.
Peru	Completed talks on Dec. 7, 2005. Signed April 12th, and ratified by Peruvian Congress in the middle of the night on June 28th, 2006 with a tally of 79 in favor, 14 against, and 6 abstentions. Passed in the U.S. Congress Nov. 8, 2007 by a 285 to 132 margin. During the debate, Congress members repeated the stale rhetoric about finally leveling the playing field with Peru—a country where half the population earns the minimum wage of $3.60 a day.
Currently Stalled or Rejected
Thailand	Negotiating – currently postponed until the formation of new Thai government. Issues around generic production of life-saving drugs major sticking point.
Boliva	President Evo Morales announced he will never sign an FTA with the US on March 16, 2006.
Ecuador	In Nov. 2006 Rafael Correa won the presidential elections on a campaign that included rejecting trade negotiations with the U.S.
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)	Talks Currently Stalled since FTAA "lite" agreements reached in Miami, FL in 2003. FTAA negotiations included all 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere excluding Cuba.
FTAs Being Negotiated
Malaysia	Talks launched March 2006. Not completed before fast track expired July 1, 2007.
United Arab Emirates	Talks started in March 2005 and restarted in May 2006 but not currently progressing.
European Union (EU)-US Free Trade Area	EU Parliament adopted resolution with proposed EU-US Free Trade Area by 2015 – June 1, 2006.
Philippines	Started in 2006. Not completed before fast track expired July 1, 2007.
Trade and Investment Development Cooperation Agreements (TIDCAs)*
Southern African Customs Union (SACU)	Talks collapsed April 2006 when announced new strategy called a Trade and Investment Development Cooperation Agreement (TIDCA). The TIDCA sets up a mechanism for developing work programs in areas that could lead to memoranda of understanding around certain areas typically included in an FTA like customs, trade facilitation and even intellectual property. The main objective seems to be to lead SACU governments back to the FTA negotiating table once the areas of greatest difficulty have been worked out.
Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs)** partial list
Ghana	Signed Feb. 26, 1999. The agreement established the U.S.-Ghana Council on Trade and Investment to hold consultations on removing the impeditments to trade and investment flows.
Nigeria	Signed Feb. 16, 2000
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)	Signed Oct. 29, 2001
West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)	Signed in 2002
Mozambique	Signed June 21, 2005
Rwanda	Signed June 7, 2006
Mauritious	Signed Sept. 18, 2006
Liberia	Signed Feb. 15, 2007
Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs)*** partial list
Uruguay	Signed BIT Oct. 25, 2004. Continue to flirt with the idea of negotiating a FTA.

*A Trade and Investment Development Cooperation Agreement (TIDCA) sets up a mechanism for establishing work programs that could lead to memoranda of understanding in certain areas typically included in a FTA, such as customs, trade facilitation and intellectual property.

**A Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFA) is a precursor or stepping-stone to a free trade agreement. Visit the USTR website for actual agreements and a complete list. It establishes a legal and political commitment between the U.S and another government to enhance bilateral trade and investment through increased liberalization. In Africa, TIFAs are a manifestation of the U.S. trade policy shift away from unilateral preferences such as the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

***A Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) is established to set terms and conditions for private investment, develop market-oriented policies, and promote trade. BITs are also seen as a stepping stone to full free trade agreements.

This page was last updated June 24, 2008, the status of trade agreements is constantly changing, please continue to look to our web site for updated versions of these agreements and other resources.

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