Bridges Trade BioRes

Volume 3 • Number 6 3rd April 2003

  • Biodiversity Convention Integrates WSSD Outcomes into Work Programme
    Sustainable development-related issues featured strongly at the 17-20 March Open-ended Inter-Sessional Meeting on the Multi-Year Programme of Work for the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada. Building on the political momentum created by the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the meeting focused, inter alia, on…
  • Peoples' Water Forum Miles from World Water Forum
    Two World Forums convened in March to discuss issues related to water. The Third World Water Forum from 16-23 March in Japan focused on water as a driving force for sustainable development, while an alternative People’s World Water Forum, held from 21-22 March in Florence, Italy, highlighted, inter alia, the impact of trade liberalisation on…
  • Agriculture Modalities: Deadline Missed, Eyes Now on Cancun
    During a 31 March wrap-up meeting of the WTO Committee on Agriculture (CoA), Chair Stuart Harbinson formally declared that Members’ efforts to agree on agricultural modalities by the end-March deadline had failed. Nevertheless, Harbinson said he would continue consultations on technical issues such as tariff formulas and Strategic Products for developing countries after the mid-April…
  • Fisheries Subsidies: Deep Divisions Persist in WTO
    Meeting from 19-20 March, the WTO Negotiating Group on Rules considered a new US paper on fisheries subsidies. Similar to the “Friends of Fish” submission tabled by Argentina, Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Peru at the last Rules Negotiating Group meeting (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 21 February 2003), the US submission was intended…
  • In Brief
  • Stark Differences Apparent over Outlook for CAP Reform
    e European Commission’s January 2003 reform proposal for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP, see BRIDGES Trade BioRes; 7 February 2003) is expected to favour the extensification of production and secure significant income gains for EU farmers, according to two new impact analyses published by DG Agriculture. This would result from implementing the…
  • Brazil Government Authorises Sale of GM Soy
    The Brazilian government’s decision to authorise the sale of genetically modified (GM) soybeans until January 2004 was met with outrage by environmental activists while farmers raised concerns over the terms and temporary nature of the measure. “It’s a serious attack on Brazilian justice”, said Marianne Paoli of Greenpeace, referring to the…
  • Pressure on US to Challenge European GM Policy Continues
    Despite a recent decision by the US government to not challenge the EU’s de facto moratorium on the approval of new genetically modified organisms (GMOs) at the WTO (BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 7 February 2003), calls for launching a case continue to be heard in the country. Talking to the House Agriculture…
  • European Commission Launches Consultations on Environmental Technology
    With the release of the Communication “Developing an action plan for environmental technology” on 25 March, the European Commission has begun a wide stakeholder consultation in an effort to enable research and business communities, governments and other players to assess the barriers holding back the take up of environmental technologies. Such…
  • In Brief
    In Brief STARK DIFFERENCES APPARENT OVER OUTLOOK FOR CAP REFORM The European Commission’s January 2003 reform proposal for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP, see BRIDGES Trade BioRes; 7 February 2003) is expected to favour the extensification of production and secure significant income gains for EU farmers, according to two new impact analyses published by DG Agriculture.…
  • Events
  • Events
    For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. Please bear in mind that dates and times of WTO meetings are often changed, and that the WTO does not always announce the important informal meetings of the different bodies. Coming up in the next two weeks 31 March…
  • Resources
  • Resources
    GENES FOR AFRICA: GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. By Jennifer Thomson, Juta Academic, 2002. The book explains benefits and risks of GM foods for developing countries; examples of controversial issues surrounding GM foods; explanations of the origins of agriculture and GM crops; and useful definitions and appendices regarding biotechnology. For further information contact…