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Lamy To TNC: Missing End-April Deadline Would Be ‘Huge Collective Mistake’
Letting an end-April deadline go by without establishing a framework Doha Round agreement on cutting subsidies and tariffs would be "a huge collective mistake," WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told Members on 28 March. "The moment of truth is… fast approaching," he told the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), urging Members to step up the pace of…
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AG Week Sees Constructive Debate But No Breakthroughs
A week of WTO agriculture negotiations from 20-24 March did not result in any breakthroughs on the core issues of subsidy and tariff cuts, spurring more doubt about whether Members can bridge their differences in time for the end-April deadline for a comprehensive agreement on modalities. Nevertheless, agriculture negotiations Chair Ambassador Crawford Falconer (New Zealand)…
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G-33 Proposes Specific Numbers For Special Safeguard Mechanism
An informal G-33 proposal containing specific values for additional duties that developing countries could apply when facing agricultural import surges proved controversial at a 24 March meeting that took place at the end of the recent agriculture week. This ’special safeguard mechanism’ (SSM) is intended to allow developing countries to quickly put in place high tariffs…
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NAMA Negotiations Remain Deadlocked
WTO talks on liberalising trade in industrial goods remain deadlocked, concluded the chair of the Negotiating Group on Non-agricultural Market Access (NAMA) on 24 March following a week’s discussions. Two days earlier, Chair Ambassador Don Stephenson (Canada) had told a meeting of all delegations that his consultations with small groups of Members on the overall…
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Turkey Makes Controversial Bid To Shield Textiles From Full NAMA Tariff Cuts
A Turkish proposal to effectively carve textiles and clothing out of the general tariff reduction formula for industrial goods in the Doha Round has provoked angry opposition from several major textile exporters such as China and Pakistan, and surprise from WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy. During the recent week of non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations (see related…
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Reinvigorated DSU Review Focuses On Three New Submissions
The Special (negotiating) Session of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) met on 21 March to discuss three new contributions to the ongoing review of the functioning of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU Review). They came from Canada, the US and the so-called "G-7" comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, New Zealand, Norway and Mexico…
- In Brief
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In Brief
EUROPEAN COMMISSION ADOPTS ANTI-DUMPING DUTIES ON CHINESE, VIETNAMESE SHOES The European Commission on 23 March decided to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on leather shoes imported from China and Vietnam. Starting on 7 April, duties of 4.8 percent will be imposed on Chinese shoes, rising to 19.4 percent by September. For Vietnamese shoes, the levies will rise…
- WTO in Brief
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TPR Commends US' Trade Openness, Points To Persisting Concerns
Farm subsidies and trade barriers to some developing country exports mar the US’ commendably liberal and transparent trade regime, according to the eighth Trade Policy Review (TPR) of the US that took place on 22 and 24 March. The TPR took note of the US’ status as the world’s largest importer and an engine for…
- Events
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Events
EVENTS For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. If you would like to submit an event, please email us. Upcoming : 29 March - 5 April 3 April, Geneva, Switzerland: SMALL INTERSESSIONAL WORKING GROUP ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPs). The purpose of the meeting is to finalise…
- Resources
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Resources
HONG KONG MINISTERIAL OF THE DOHA ROUND OF MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS: ACHIEVING A LOW-LEVEL EQUILIBRIUM. By Dilip K. Das. February 2006. The article aims to shed light on the progress or lack thereof made during the WTO’s Hong Kong Ministerial Conference and to monitor the multilateral trade negotiations in the Doha Round. It examines the…