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DEVELOPING COUNTRIES PRESENT VIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES PRESENT VIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS Developing countries put forward their views on how best to liberalise trade in environmental goods at an informal technical session of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Special Session (CTE-SS) on 12-13 June. Three documents from India, Colombia and a group of developing countries set out their objections…
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BRAZIL FILES FIRST SUBMISSION IN WTO RETREADED TYRES CASE
BRAZIL FILES FIRST SUBMISSION IN WTO RETREADED TYRES CASE On 8 June, Brazil filed its first written submission with the WTO in a dispute with the EU concerning trade in retreated tyres. In its submission, Brazil responded to allegations made in the EU’s first submission, which was confidentially submitted to the WTO in April. The WTO…
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DISCUSSIONS ON CBD-TRIPS GAIN MOMENTUM WITH NEW PROPOSALS
DISCUSSIONS ON CBD-TRIPS GAIN MOMENTUM WITH NEW PROPOSALS Advocates of amending the WTO Agreement on Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to include a mandatory ‘disclosure requirement’ submitted two concrete proposals to amend the agreement in the first two weeks of June. Both a submission from a group of developing countries and a proposal from Norway propose…
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DEVELOPING COUNTRIES SAY REACH COULD HAVE "GRAVE CONSEQUENCES"
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES SAY REACH COULD HAVE "GRAVE CONSEQUENCES" Thirteen of the EU’s leading trade partners, including several developing countries, issued a statement on 8 June urging Brussels to modify the proposed Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation to reduce its "potentially disruptive impact on international trade"…
- In Brief
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US Government Sued for Allegedly Importing Illegally Logged Mahogany
In a lawsuit filed on 6 June with the US Court of International Trade, a US conservation organisation and two Peruvian indigenous groups have called on the US government and timber importers to halt their imports of illegally logged Peruvian mahogany. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with the Native Federation of Madre de…
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EU, Sao Tome and Principe Sign Fisheries Agreement
The European Commission and Sao Tome and Principe have signed a four-year fisheries partnership agreement (FPA) that will replace the previous agreement, which ended on 31 May. The new agreement will last until 31 May 2010 and come into effect retroactively for 1 June once it is approved by the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council…
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India Files Request for WTO Consultation with the US on Shrimp
On 12 June, India requested WTO consultations with the US over bonds that importers of Indian shrimp have to deposit with US customs authorities. India’s filing is based on antidumping measures imposed by the US in February 2005 on frozen warmwater shrimp from India and other countries (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 28 April 2006). Under…
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Taro Patents to be Given Back to Hawaii's Indigeneous People
The University of Hawaii has decided to relinquish its claims to three patents on taro plant varieties in recognition of the plants’ cultural significance for natives of the country. Taro is a tropical plant native to Hawaii grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. In a…
- 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 2 June…
- 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 smohan@ictsd.ch.ICTSD Resources TRADE AND MARKETPLACE MEASURES TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE FISHING PRACTICES. By Cathy Roheim and Jon G. Sutinen (ICTSD, May 2006). This report examines the current…