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ACP, UK Anxious About EU Demands In EPA Talks
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has defended plans for new trade agreements with some of the world’s poorest countries, in spite of increasing criticism of the EU’s demands from its would-be partners, development campaign groups, and most recently from the UK government. Speaking to EU trade and development ministers in Luxembourg on 16 October, Mandelson insisted…
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EU, India Move Towards Bilateral Trade Talks; Deny Threat To Doha
The EU and India have agreed to step up efforts towards a "broad-based" bilateral trade and investment pact, aiming to conclude a deal by 2009. The decision was announced at a 13 October EU-India leaders’ summit in Helsinki. A carefully-worded joint statement issued after the meeting did not refer to a formal launch of bilateral negotiations,…
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UNCTAD Governing Body Highlights Need For 'Policy Space'
Developing countries must be able to balance ‘policy space’ with international commitments, said the governing body of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) while charting out a course for the organisation over the next two years. Member governments called on UNCTAD to help ensure that economic globalisation promotes development and poverty reduction, and…
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Putin Rejects EU Demands On Energy
Russian President Vladimir Putin resisted EU leaders’ calls to ratify an international energy treaty that would liberalise trade and investment in its oil and gas sector, at a 20 October summit in Finland. The EU currently relies on Russia for between a quarter and a third of its oil and natural gas imports, figures which are…
- In Brief
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UNCTAD Unveils 2006 World Investment Report
The new edition of the UN Conference on Trade and Development’s annual World Investment Report focuses on new sources of foreign direct investment: transnational corporations (TNCs) from developing countries. Released on 16 October, the study indicates that FDI continued to increase for the second consecutive year, with inflows reaching USD 916 billion in 2005 -…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
VIETNAM LOOKS SET TO JOIN WTO Vietnam looks set to join the WTO after Members were able to resolve their last remaining quibbles about its accession process during a week of discussions that ended on 13 October, according to reports from Vietnamese state news sources. Upon his return to Hanoi two days later, Vietnamese Trade Minister Truong…
- 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 at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch. Upcoming : 19-25 October 19-20 October, Geneva, Switzerland: AD HOC EXPERT MEETING: INTERNATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND MEASURES…
- Resources
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Resources
AGRICULTURAL POLICIES IN OECD COUNTRIES. By the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), July 2006. This annual report analyses world commodity market trends and medium term prospects for the main agricultural products. It shows how these markets are influenced by economic developments and government policies and…