Montanarchist
11-02-2009, 04:03 PM
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/29/news/international/european_trade_deal.fortune/index.htm
Elimination of tariffs is only one piece of the free-trade puzzle. "The largest benefits will come from economic integration," says Jayson Myers, president of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), the country's largest trade and industry association. By that he means increased foreign direct investment, improved labor mobility and full access to government procurement.
An FTA with Europe may be a hard sell, but a union of existing trade blocs is likely inevitable, says Schrage of CSIS, who has held senior positions with the U.S. State Department and helped negotiate top-level agreements with G8 nations. He points out that the preceding Bush administration had a NAFTA-EU deal on its radar, but failed to make progress. "The ball is in the Obama administration's court," says Schrage. "If they want this to happen, they can move rapidly."
This may or may not seem like a good idea, but I think this is the way of the future, regardless. Nation states could transcend into super-regions based on trade. Things such as culture, ethnicity, nationalism, language etc. will be deemed irrelevant.
Elimination of tariffs is only one piece of the free-trade puzzle. "The largest benefits will come from economic integration," says Jayson Myers, president of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), the country's largest trade and industry association. By that he means increased foreign direct investment, improved labor mobility and full access to government procurement.
An FTA with Europe may be a hard sell, but a union of existing trade blocs is likely inevitable, says Schrage of CSIS, who has held senior positions with the U.S. State Department and helped negotiate top-level agreements with G8 nations. He points out that the preceding Bush administration had a NAFTA-EU deal on its radar, but failed to make progress. "The ball is in the Obama administration's court," says Schrage. "If they want this to happen, they can move rapidly."
This may or may not seem like a good idea, but I think this is the way of the future, regardless. Nation states could transcend into super-regions based on trade. Things such as culture, ethnicity, nationalism, language etc. will be deemed irrelevant.