-
Lamy: Concluding Round In 2007 Not Out Of Reach Yet
Concluding the Doha Round negotiations in 2007 is still possible, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told Members on 14 December, but only if countries come forward with concrete new concessions early in the new year. "New flexibilities have been announced by major players in general terms," he said to the year-end session of the General Council, referring…
-
GC: In Speech On Aid For Trade, Lamy Stresses Monitoring And Evaluation
In a speech to WTO Members on aid for trade, Director-General Pascal Lamy highlighted the importance of monitoring and evaluation to ensuring that trade-related assistance efforts are effective. The aim was not to turn the WTO into a development agency, he said. Instead, he envisioned a scenario in which the WTO would focus on helping…
-
Discord Over Implementation Record As China Marks Five-Year Anniversary In WTO
China this month marks the fifth anniversary of its accession to the WTO. On 11 December, five years to the day since it joined the global trade body, Beijing announced a regulation removing several restrictions on foreign ownership in its banking sector. This is one of the last pieces of the unprecedented market access commitments…
-
Fish Subsidies Talks Resume, With Focus On Role Of FAO
Months after the Doha Round negotiations were suspended in July, WTO Members on 12 December restarted informal discussions on how to discipline fisheries subsidies. The largely technical debate focused on the possible role of external input, notably from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in developing and implementing new rules. In this context, Members picked…
- In Brief
-
In Brief
EU MEMBER STATES BACK AUSTRIAN BAN ON BIOTECH PRODUCTS In a resounding defeat for the European Commission, a large majority of EU member states on 18 December voted in support of Austria’s right to ban two genetically modified maize varieties. While these crops have already been approved at the EU-wide level, Austria has invoked the safeguard…
- WTO in Brief
-
WTO In Brief
MEMBERS APPROVE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR FTAs In a rare instance of consensus in the troubled Doha Round negotiations, WTO Members voted on 14 December to endorse a new transparency mechanism for scrutinising each other’s bilateral and regional free-trade agreements. They will now be required to notify the WTO whenever they launch FTA negotiations or conclude accords. The…
- Events
-
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 : 21 December - 17 January 21-22 December, New Delhi, India: PROJECT REVIEW MEETING ON WTO DOHA ROUND &…