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Members Searching for Progress on Ag, NAMA
For the fourth summer in a row, WTO Members are in a push for progress in the Doha Round of trade talks in the run-up to the institution’s August holiday. The previous attempts were unsuccessful: In 2005, governments proved unable to agree on preliminary ‘first approximations’ of a Doha accord ahead of the Hong Kong Ministerial…
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Divisions over Disclosure and Parallelism Remain Unresolved at TRIPS Council Meeting
The first - and ultimately only - day of the meeting of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement Council, originally scheduled for both Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, was characterised by traditional divisions on a handful of issues. Members’ disagreements centred on a proposed amendment to the TRIPS Agreement that…
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ACP, EU Address Regional Integration, Sugar, Bananas
Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the 87th summit of the ACP Council of Ministers from 9-11 June, officials from 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states laid out their stances on several controversial issues, including economic integration with the EU and their preconditions for approving a trade deal at the WTO. That summit was immediately…
- In Brief
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G77 Meeting Stresses South-South Solidarity
Officials from more than 70 developing countries met in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire last week at the 12th session of the intergovernmental follow-up and coordination committee on economic cooperation among developing countries. The meeting brought together the members of the G77 plus China, a coalition of developing countries that now includes 130 nations. In one of the…
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EFTA States and Colombia Wrap up Free Trade Negotiations
The member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland - concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia on 12 June in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. According to the EFTA Secretariat, the trade deal, which has been under negotiation for roughly one year, will “improve market access for industrial…
- WTO in Brief
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US and Canada Appeal WTO Beef Hormone Dispute Ruling
In the most recent development of an ongoing transatlantic dispute, the US and Canada have filed appeals to a WTO panel ruling that found fault with the two countries’ method of implementing trade sanctions. The US and Canadian claims, both submitted on 9 June (WT/DS320/13; WT/DS321/13), follow an appeal filed by the EU late last…
- Events
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Events
Coming up: 19-25 June 19 June, London, UK. CHINA’S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND THE MARCH TOWARDS MODERNITY. Presented by Chatham House, Tung Chee Hwa, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference will analyse the process of reform and development which China has undergone in the past 30 years and the direction in which it is heading.…
- Resources
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Resources
A PRICE TOO HIGH: HEALTH IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTION IN SOUTHERN CHINA. Civic Exchange, 11 June, 2008. The study - conducted by leading health, science and public policy experts - reveals new regional data on the health costs of poor air quality. Annual deaths attributable to air pollution - based on 2006 data - are…