FTA's in Asia-Pacific: "Next Generation" of Social Dimension Provisions on Labor

Abstract

Recent years have brought a proliferation of Free Trade Agreements ("FTA"),j bilateral and multilateral, often regional, with even larger ones being negotiated, such as the European Union ("EU") and United States ("U.S.") Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Transpacific Partnership (TPP). The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation ("APEC") forum members recently discussed plans to "phase out regional free trade agreements" (or supplement them) in favor of creating a singular Free Trade Agreement Asia Pacific ("FTAAP"), covering much of the Asia Pacific Region.