-
MEMBERS CONTINUE TO DEBATE HOW TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS
MEMBERS CONTINUE TO DEBATE HOW TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS WTO Members continue to search for an acceptable approach for identifying ‘environmental goods’ to slate them for expedited trade liberalisation. At the Committee on Trade and Environment Special Session (CTE-SS) meeting on 6-7 July, familiar divisions reappeared as delegates debated how best to fulfil the Paragraph…
-
EU RELEASES FIRST SUBMISSION IN TYRES DISPUTE, CIVIL SOCIETY WEIGHS IN
EU RELEASES FIRST SUBMISSION IN TYRES DISPUTE, CIVIL SOCIETY WEIGHS IN In the dispute over Brazil’s import ban and other restrictions on the sale of retreaded tyres, the EU in its first submission — dated 27 April but only made public after the first panel hearing on 5-7 July — presented its arguments to counter Brazil’s…
-
CODEX ADOPTS STANDARDS ON TRACEABILITY AND IMPORTED FOOD INSPECTION
CODEX ADOPTS STANDARDS ON TRACEABILITY AND IMPORTED FOOD INSPECTION The Codex Alimentarius Commission — the UN body charged with setting international standards related to food safety — at its meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 3-7 July, approved principles for tracing food through production and distribution processes, as well as guidelines for ensuring that imported food is…
- In Brief
-
US Angles for Sustainable Fishing
The European Commission adopted a new strategy on sustainable fishing on 4 July, which aims to end overfishing and bring the catch rates of major fish stocks to levels that do not compromise their productive potential. With the proposed policy, the Commission aims to implement the EU’s commitment to restore stocks to levels that can…
-
CITES Committee Discusses Timber Species and Medicinal Plants
Among an extensive range of agenda items, the Plant Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) addressed trade in timber species and medicinal plants at its 16th meeting on 3-8 July 2006 in Lima, Peru. Committee members specifically discussed how to protect bigleaf mahogany, one of…
-
US and Canada Finalise Softwood Lumber Deal
The US and Canada on 1 July signed an agreement regulating trade in softwood lumber, marking a new truce in their two decade-long dispute (Bridges Trade BioRes, 2 September 2005). Based on a tentative deal struck in April, the formal accord halts all legal battles and retaliatory duties on softwood lumber. Of the USD 5…
-
Lamy Takes Up 'Shuttle Diplomacy' in Wake of WTO Collapse
After the WTO had failed to reach a framework deal on agriculture and industrial tariffs at a high-profile ministerial-level meeting in Geneva at the end of June, Members have asked Lamy to step up consultations with governments in an attempt to facilitate an agreement as soon as possible (see Bridges Weekly, 3 July 2006). Lamy…
-
International Court Sides with Uruguay in Paper Mills Dispute
Argentina was defeated in its attempt to prevent the construction of two paper mills along the shared banks of the Rio Uruguay in a ruling by the International Court of Justice on 13 July. The court determined that the mills posed no “imminent threat” to Argentina’s environment. “There is not enough ground for a provisional…
- 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 15-17 July,…
- Resources
-
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 gvea@ictsd.ch. AMERICA’S FREE TRADE FOR ILLEGAL TIMBER- HOW US TRADE PACTS SPEED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WORLD’S FORESTS. (Environmental Investigation Agency, June 2006) The report documents…