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WTO BIOTECH RULING: DEADLINE SET FOR COMPLIANCE
The EU has agreed with the US, Argentina and Canada on a 21 November deadline for compliance with the WTO dispute ruling in the high-profile case on the EU’s approval process for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Under the ruling, made public on 29 September 2006, the application of EU-wide and national moratoria on the approval of…
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ETHIOPIA AND STARBUCKS REACH COFFEE AGREEMENT
ETHIOPIA AND STARBUCKS REACH COFFEE AGREEMENT The government of Ethiopia and Starbucks — a key buyer of Ethiopian coffee — recently reached an agreement that respects Ethiopia’s right to use the intellectual property system to seek to increase its revenues from coffee. The two parties will work together to strengthen the brand associated with three premium-quality…
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US-PERU BILATERAL TO ADDRESS ILLEGAL LOGGING, BOOST MEA IMPLEMENTATION
US-PERU BILATERAL TO ADDRESS ILLEGAL LOGGING, BOOST MEA IMPLEMENTATION Civil society groups in the US are lauding a newly-revised version of the US-Peru free-trade agreement as the first bilateral trade treaty to recognise and seriously address the problem of illegal logging. In the area of environment, the US-Peru FTA has been amended through the inclusion of new…
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DEBATE ON PRIVATE SECTOR STANDARDS CONTINUES IN SPS COMMITTEE
DEBATE ON PRIVATE SECTOR STANDARDS CONTINUES IN SPS COMMITTEE Some Members have suggested that governments should take responsibility for the WTO-compatibility of voluntary standards set by companies within their borders. At a meeting of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures from 27-28 June, Egypt, Argentina and several other developing countries said that governments were, in…
- In Brief
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High-Level Meeting Focuses on Biofuel Sustainability, Standards
The rapid expansion of biofuels use and the development of an international biofuels market can bring about benefits, but also lead to new problems unless checks and balances are put in place, participants at a 5-6 July conference in Brussels heard. High-level speakers, such as Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Commission President José…
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North American Officials Launch Online Air Pollution Tracker
Senior environmental officials from Canada, Mexico, and the US recently announced the launch of an interactive online tool to track air pollution throughout North America. Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Mexican Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Stephen Johnson, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, and John Baird, Canadian Environment Minister met in Morelia, Mexico at…
- 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, http://www.trade-environment.org/page/calendar.htm. Coming up in the next two weeks 2-7 July, Rome, Italy: CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION MEETING. This meeting, jointly hosted by the World Health Organisation and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, will consider proposed…
- 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 for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch. CLIMATE CHANGE, COMPETITIVENESS, AND TRADE. Chatham House, May 2007. This publication by Chatham House’s Richard Tarasofsky and Aaron Cosbey of the International…