Bridges Trade BioRes

Volume 6 • Number 17 6th October 2006

  • BIOTECH PANEL CALLS ON EU TO CONFORM WITH WTO RULES
    BIOTECH PANEL CALLS ON EU TO CONFORM WITH WTO RULES A WTO dispute panel has confirmed its initial finding against the EU’s application of its approval process for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The panel’s final report, made public on 29 September, largely reiterated its February interim ruling on the complaint brought by the US,…
  • DEBATE RAGES OVER BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF BIOFUELS
    DEBATE RAGES OVER BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF BIOFUELS The role of biofuels in helping solve a range of problems — including climate change and overproduction of agricultural products — has been heating up. Biofuels were debated at the annual WTO Public Forum — held on 25-26 September this year — with UN Foundation…
  • In Brief
  • EU and Malaysia to Combat Illegal Timber Trade
    On 25 September, Malaysia and the EU launched formal negotiations to establish a voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) to combat illegal timber trade. The VPA is set to be the first agreement under the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme, which was established as a follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development…
  • Codex: When is a Sardine a Sardine?
    After ten years of discussions, the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) at its 18-22 September meeting in Beijing, China, finally agreed on amendments to the Standard for canned sardines and sardine-type products (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 8 July 2004). At the request of Chile, the Committee added the species Clupea bentincki to…
  • Developing Countries Press for Speedier WIPO Talks on GR, TK
    During the annual General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) — held from 25 September to 3 October in Geneva developing countries called for the process on on the protection of traditional knowledge (TK), folklore and genetic resources at the specialised Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) to be speeded up. They reemphasised the need for…
  • How to Integrate Biodiversity Considerations into Development Consideration
    Government and civil society participants gathered from 19 to 21 September at a conference on “Biodiversity in European Development Cooperation” in Paris — organised by IUCN in partnership with the European Commission — to discuss how to better integrate biodiversity into EU development cooperation. At the close of the meeting, the 400 participants adopted a…
  • Caribbean Ministers Call for Doha Revival, Raise Climate Concerns
    Six Caribbean foreign ministers discussed the lack of progress in recent global trade negotiations, threats posed by climate change and the need for multilateral solutions at the UN General Assembly on 27 September. They called for more trade benefits and less greenhouse gas emissions. While deploring the suspension of the Doha round in July this year,…
  • New Seed Monitoring Centre in Nairobi
    The Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) — a Rockefeller and Bill Gates Foundation joint endeavour — is setting up a seed centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The centre forms part of a US$150 million programme to spur a “Green Revolution” on the African continent. The goal is to allow farmers to produce higher yielding crops…
  • Sustainability Impacts of Horticulture Trade in Africa Examined
    A recent assessment of potential impacts of liberalising horticulture trade (green beans, peas and roses) between Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) and the EU under the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) currently under negotiation cautions that expected expansion of production would put pressure on the environment due to an increased use of agrochemicals, water and energy.…
  • New Hope for Responsible Soy Production
    Soy producers, processors and traders as well as financial institutions and civil society groups came together in early September in Asunción, Paraguay, at the second Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS), to give this multi-stakeholder initiative the formal status of a new international organisation. The organisation has the mandate to reduce the negative impacts of soy…
  • 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. ICTSD 12-13 October, Geneva, Switzerland: DELIVERING ON SUSTAINABLE…
  • 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 Malena Sell. IMPACTS OF CHANGES IN KEY EU POLICIES ON TRADE AND PRODUCTION DISPLACEMENT OF SUGAR AND SOY. By Annie Dufey, David Baldock & Martin Farmer,…