TPP 미국 탈퇴와 일본-EU EPA 영향분석

The agreement was signed in February 2016. Following the withdrawal of the United States, the agreement is now facing a very uncertain future. In March 2018, the remaining 11 states finally signed the now re-named and less ambitious Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Before it can enter into force, it must be ratified by the countries’ respective national parliaments. The negotiations were very long and drawn out, due to divergent attitudes on the issues surrounding agriculture, intellectual property rights, services and the protection of investments. Civil society also showed increasingly strong opposition to this agreement that was negotiated behind closed doors, fearing that it would be solely based on the interests of multinational corporations. This fear was indeed justified when the texts became public. The key preoccupations are based on strengthened protection of intellectual property rights and patents. This means that millions of people are not able to access affordable generic medication; it also increases farmers’ dependence on industrial seeds sold by the multinational corporations. With the withdrawal of the United States, another Asia-Pacific regional alliance has come to the forefront: the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership). It brings together the countries of the Southeast Asia known as ASEAN. This group includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. These countries represent approximately 40% of global trade.