REVISED TIMELINE TO THE CANCÚN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE. The WTO last week released the principal dates in the revised timeline that WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, as chairperson of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), circulated to WTO Members for the 3-4 October 2002 TNC meeting (see BRIDGES Weekly, 9 October 2002). It is intended to help focus discussion under agenda item 2 (”Future Work”) by providing a concise summary of the key dates and deadlines established so far. It was circulated by the chairman on his own responsibility and without prejudice to any participant’s position on the issues listed. During this period, according to the WTO, the General Council is also to receive reports, particularly on implementation and other issues concerning developing and least-developed countries. The timeline is available at: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/tnc_07oct02_e.htm#summary .
WTO INTERNATIONAL TRADE STATISTICS 2002. According to this new report released by the WTO on 10 October, global trade is expected to experience a one percent recovery this year, following a 1.5-percent contraction in 2001. That remains far behind the trade growth levels of the 1990s and the 11 percent rise in import-export activity reached in 1999-2000. However, the WTO report qualified the expectation of one percent on continuing a trend of economic recovery in the industrialised countries and in Asia through the last half of this year. According to the document, the WTO predicts “a continuation of sluggish growth in both Western Europe and Japan.” One WTO official said the meagre prospects in Western Europe were of particular concern, since the region accounts for a significant chunk of global trade (40 percent, according to the WTO report). In addition to the outlook for 2002, the report contains up-to-date statistics on international trade in 2001. It can be viewed or downloaded from the WTO website at: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/statis_e.htm . Highlights from the WTO International Trade Statistics report can be found at: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres02_e/pr316_e.htm .
Recently Released Documents
WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (WSSD): JOHANNESBURG DECLARATION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE WSSD PLAN OF IMPLEMENTATION, 7 October 2002, WT/COMTD/W/106, WT/CTE/W/220. Note by the Secretariat, submitted to Committees on Trade and Development and Trade and Environment. These are the legal texts agreed upon by world leaders at the 26 August - 4 September 2002 WSSD, distributed to WTO Members via the CTE and the CTD.
GENERAL COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION ON IMPLEMENTATION: MINUTES OF MEETING, 3 October and 1 November 2001, WT/GC/M/70. Document has recently been de-restricted and is now available on the WTO website at http://docsonline.wto.org .
DOHA MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE: SUMMARY RECORD (9-14 November 2001) WT/MIN (01)/SR/1 - WT/MIN(01)/SR/9.
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade: SPECIFIC TRADE CONCERNS RELATED TO LABELLING BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE SINCE 1995 (4 October 2002), G/TBT/W/184. Note by the WTO Secretariat. This document summarises all concerns raised by Members about the potential adverse trade effects or inconsistencies with the TBT Agreement related to labelling.
Trade Policy Review Body: REPORT OF THE TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY FOR 2002, 7 October 2002, WT/TPR/W/29. This report provides the annual assessment of the TPRM for 2002. It discusses the TPRs of Members conducted over the year and the main issues arising from them.
Negotiating Group on Rules: KOREA’S VIEWS ON THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA DISCUSSIONS ON FISHERIES SUBSIDIES, 2 October 2002, TN/RL/W/17. In this submission, Korea inter alia counters arguments made by other Members that the peculiarity of fisheries subsidies and products justify the sectoral treatment of fisheries subsidies. It advocates for more efforts to be made to deal with problems in the management of fish resources.
Committee on Agriculture Special Session: TARIFF QUOTA ADMINISTRATION: AUCTIONING, 30 September 2002, TN/AG/S/9. Background note by the WTO Secretariat. This paper examines the question of the status under WTO rules of auctioning tariff quota import licences by governmental authorities, and outlines elements of possible disciplines regarding this method of administration.
Council for Trade in Services Special Session: SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED SERVICES ENTERPRISES: COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES, 1 October 2002, TN/S/W/5. This submission, inter alia, looks at some of the challenges faced by small and mid-sized businesses in overcoming foreign barriers to trade. These include transparency in domestic regulation, commercial presence requirements, movement of natural persons, electronic delivery of services and commitments in related services.
Working Group on the Relationship between Trade and Investment: COMMUNICATION FROM INDIA ON DEVELOPMENT PROVISIONS, 7 October 2002, WT/WGTI/W/148. In its submission, India references a recent paper by Barry Eichengreen of the University of California, Berkeley, to argue that financial flows in no way resemble flows of goods and services. Thus developing countries need policy flexibility to determine the form of investment that would lead to growth. India draws a parallel between liberalising capital, a factor of production, and liberalising another factor of production, particularly movement of labour.
Working Group on the Relationship between Trade and Investment: COMMUNICATION FROM INDIA ON NON-DISCRIMINATION, 7 October 2002, WT/WGTI/W/149. India advocates in its submission that developing countries preserve fully their discretionary authority with regard to investment flows. In this context, it challenges whether non- discrimination provisions are absolute, and whether they should also apply to investment. India also highlights its understanding of the basic differences between the concept of ‘commercial presence’ under the GATS and the concept of investment.
Working Group on the Relationship between Trade and Investment: COMMUNICATION FROM INDIA — VIEWS ON MODALITIES FOR PRE-ESTABLISHMENT COMMITMENTS BASED ON A GATS-TYPE POSITIVE LIST APPROACH, 7 October 2002, WT/WGTI/W/150. India here notes that binding rules on ‘pre- establishment commitments’ will neither be feasible nor necessary, as developing countries need to retain the ability to screen and channel FDI in tune with their domestic interests and priorities. It favours bilateral investment treaties (BITs) over a multilateral investment approach, as India argues they provide flexibility to the host country while also extending protection to foreign investors.