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EC CHEMICALS REGULATION DRAWS RENEWED CRITICISM AT WTO
EC CHEMICALS REGULATION DRAWS RENEWED CRITICISM AT WTO At a 1 July meeting of the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), the US, Japan and other EC trading partners reiterated their criticism against the proposed European chemicals policy REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restrictions of Chemicals), saying the legislation would be too costly and…
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CODEX DEFERS DECISIONS ON ORIGIN LABELLING, PARMESAN AND SARDINES
CODEX DEFERS DECISIONS ON ORIGIN LABELLING, PARMESAN AND SARDINES The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) at its 27th session from 28 June - 3 July in Geneva, Switzerland, failed to agree on some of the more contentious trade-related issues. Among them, further debate on the need for revising the standard on country of origin labelling was referred…
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AGRICULTURE TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS WTO WORKS TOWARDS JULY DEADLINE
AGRICULTURE TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS WTO WORKS TOWARDS JULY DEADLINE WTO delegates in Geneva are currently involved in intense negotiations on all trade issues on the table, with a particular focus on agriculture, the centrepiece of the Doha Round. Trade delegates are meeting regularly in small groups, bilaterals, and heads of delegation sessions in advance of…
- In Brief
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European Patent Office Upholds Harvard Mouse Patent
The European Patent Office (EPO) on 6 July upheld a pan-European patent on a mouse that has been genetically modified to develop cancer. The ruling applies to mice only, not all species of rodents. The patent, which had been granted to Harvard University in 1992, had been challenged by a collection of church, environmental and…
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Natural Decaf Discovered in Brazil
Researchers in Brazil recently discovered coffee plants that naturally produce virtually decaffeinated beans. These plants, whose beans contain 20 times less caffeine than normal coffee, were found among 3,000 seedlings at the Agronomy Institute of Campinas, brought from Ethiopia to Brazil in 1965. This discovery, which was published in the 24 June issue of the…
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WTO Panel Delays Proceedings in Biotech Dispute
The WTO panel examining the US-Argentina-Canada complaint against the EU’s de facto moratorium on the approval of new genetically modified organisms (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 28 May 2004) has delayed the next step in the proceedings by about a month, pushing the second panel session to the middle of September. The delay could be even…
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Concerns Raised as FAO Treaty Enters Into Force
With the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (IT)’s entry into force on 29 June (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 8 April 2004), some civil society groups remain dubious about the Treaty’s effectiveness. While clearly recognising the significance of the Treaty, the UK Food Group noted that much work needed to be…
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Mixed Signals for Future of Biotech in Europe
At their 28 June meeting, European environment ministers failed to reach a decision on whether to authorise Monsanto’s genetically modified herbicide-tolerant maize NK 603. This marked the second time ministers were unable to agree on an application, and it will again be up to the Commission to take the decision (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 28…
- Events
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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 6-8 July,…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy or review by the BRIDGES staff to Heike Baumüller. REALISING THE PROMISE AND POTENTIAL OF AFRICAN AGRICULTURE. By the InterAcademy Council, 2004. Drawing on the expertise of 90 national science academies, the report…