US-Bahrain
In May 2004, after just four months of talks, US and Bahraini trade negotiators concluded a free trade agreement between the two countries. The agreement was signed by US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National Economy, Abdulla Hassan Saif, in September 2004.
Ratification and entry into force was to come after Bahrain assured Washington that it "no longer supports a boycott of Israeli goods".
The FTA came into force on 1 August 2006. Two years later, the government claimed that the best impacts of the FTA were boosting Bahrain’s image in the US and speeding up domestic policy changes at home, while critics pointed to the country’s rapidly deteriorating trade surplus with the US. The AFL-CIO has called on the US Administration to withdraw from the agreement over human rights concerns and the mass dismissals of many public sector workers.
last update: May 2012
Articles
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22-Aug-2012 Huffington Post Paul Ryan-sponsored Bahrain trade agreement under scrutiny amid crackdowns
A spate of anti-democratic actions in the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain have turned an unflattering spotlight on a six-year-old US free trade agreement sponsored and promoted by Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican candidate for vice president. -
29-Oct-2009 Gulf Daily News Bahrain: MPs ban Israel links
MPs yesterday voted to jail for up to five years any Bahraini who deals directly with Israel and to resurrect the Israeli Boycott Office, closed to make way for the Free Trade Agreement with the US. -
30-Aug-2009 FTA talks chance for Bahrain firms
Bahrain’s business community will get a say on the future of international trade with the US later this year. -
6-Nov-2008 FTA training for companies
Bahraini businesses and commercial establishments are to be trained by United Nations experts on making the best use of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. -
9-Aug-2008 Bahrain: Best Yet To Come
Two years down the track, Bahrain’s free trade agreement (FTA) with the US has garnered mixed reviews, with some hailing it as an overwhelming success while others say it has yet to reach its full potential. -
2-Aug-2008 Khaleej Times Free trade accord may pose problems for female workers
Problems of female workers are expected to increase with the full implementation of the Free Trade Agreement reached between Bahrain and the United States that completed its second year on Friday. -
2-May-2008 MENAFN Bahrain exports to US dive 10%
The US has emerged as the main beneficiary of the free trade agreement with Bahrain as the value of US exports to Bahrain amounted to $529 million during August 2006 to July 2007, up 28 per cent compared to the corresponding period a year earlier, a leading parliamentarian and economist said. -
23-Dec-2007 Gulfnews US benefits most from free trade pact with Bahrain
The US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has proven to be beneficial to the American side. The deal came into effect at the start of August 2006. Available statistics indicate that American exports have increased a hefty 28 per cent during the first year of FTA’s implementation. Bahrain’s exports dropped by 10 per cent in the same period. -
16-Dec-2007 Khaleej Times FTA poses challenges for Bahraini working women
Working women in Bahrain are facing many challenges and female activists predict more hardship to come in their way after the full implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between Bahrain and the United States. -
5-Nov-2007 Gulfnews Israel boycott office ’must be reopened’
A parliamentarian committee in Bahrain has called for the reopening of the Israel boycott office. Manama shut down the office in 2005 as part of the requirements by the US Congress before it ratified a free trade agreement with Bahrain -
12-Feb-2007 Bahrain Tribune Bahrain: FTA lure for foreign firms
The backers of the $1.6bn Bahrain Investment Wharf (BIW) project are using the Kingdom’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States to try and entice major firms from the economic powerhouses of China and India to set up shop in Bahrain. -
25-Nov-2006 Reuters Bahrain bans strikes a month after allowing them
Bahrain has banned strikes and worker demonstrations in most business sectors, a month after labour law reforms banning the sacking of strikers encouraged a wave of trade union activity in the Gulf island state. -
7-Oct-2006 Traders still paying duty
Bahrain businesses trading with the US may still be paying duty on customs-free products because they haven’t amended their paperwork. Bahrain Export Development Society (BEDS) chairman Dr Yousef Mashal said 96 per cent of Bahrain’s industrial and agricultural products now received immediate duty-free access to the US markets because of the Bahrain-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but some traders were missing out. -
12-Sep-2006 Joint business council opens in Washington
US Ambassador William Monroe yesterday announced the inauguration of a Bahraini-US Business Council in Washington on Thursday under the patronage of Bahraini Ambassador Nasser Al Balooshi. -
8-Sep-2006 Garments industry ’has to wait for gains’
The garments industry may not see the benefits of the new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US until early next year, said an industry leader. -
6-Sep-2006 Bahrain-US free trade panel discusses future plans
The Bahrain-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Implementation Committee yesterday held its first meeting since the international trade agreement was ratified on August 1. -
7-Aug-2006 Gulf News Bilateral gains implied by US-Bahrain FTA
Speaking to members of the United States Trade Representatives (USTR) in Washington last month, I learned that Congress supported the FTA with Bahrain partly because it posed no threat to American farm industry. -
3-Aug-2006 Bahrain-US free trade pact comes into force
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Bahrain and the US comes into force today. -
31-Jul-2006 HM issues orders to begin implementation of FTA
HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on Friday, gave his royal orders to begin implementing the Bahrain US FTA as from August 1, 2006. -
5-Jul-2006 FTA ’will open new era of ties’
US-Bahrain relations will enter a new era when the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force in the coming weeks, said US Ambassador William T Monroe yesterday.
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US-Bahrain FTA website
Maintained by Bahrain’s Ministry of Finance
