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Trade Talks Resume among Limited Players
Senior trade officials from seven economic powers are meeting in Geneva this week for the first time since world trade talks collapsed at the end of July. Sources indicate that a primary focus of their discussions will be the the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), a tool that would allow developing countries to raise tariffs temporarily when…
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US Mulls WTO Case over Chinese Export Restrictions
The US government may soon initiate a WTO case against China’s export restrictions on a range of raw materials used mainly in the steel industry, arguing that by depressing domestic input costs, the restrictions effectively subsidise Chinese steel producers in contravention of multilateral trade rules. According to a report in the Financial Times last week, the…
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EU-Ghana Trade Deal Takes Aim at Illegal Logging
The EU and Ghana clinched a deal last week aimed at reducing illegal timber harvesting in the West African nation. The agreement was signed on 3 September on the sidelines of a foreign aid conference in Accra, Ghana. The deal is the first of what Brussels hopes will be a series of so-called Voluntary Partnership…
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Donor, Recipient Countries Struggle over How to Make Aid More Effective
Officials meeting in Ghana last week agreed to an ‘Agenda for Action’ on ways to improve foreign aid, which critics say is often poorly coordinated, inefficient, delayed by bureaucratic red tape, or redirected to the pockets of corrupt officials. “Whether aid works can help determine whether the future is one of hope or privation,” World…
- In Brief
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UNCTAD Offers 'Gloomy Outlook' on World Economy
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released its annual Trade and Development Report at the International Institute of Trade and Development in Bangkok last Thursday. Titled ‘Commodity prices, capital flows and the financing of investment’, the report analyses developments in the world economy and presents economic prospects for developing countries with regards…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO Rules against Mexico in Olive Oil Dispute with EU
A World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute panel ruled largely in favour of the EU in its dispute over Mexican import duties on olive oil. The decision, made public on 4 September, upheld three of the claims made by the EU, but dismissed the EU’s other points. Central to the dispute was Mexico’s countervailing duties of between…
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EU Court Rejects Compensation Appeal in WTO Banana Dispute
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected appeals for compensation for export revenue lost as a consequence of US sanctions imposed on goods in retaliation against the EU’s banana import duties. The US sanctions were permitted by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after a ruling that the EU’s banana tariffs were illegal. The European Community…
- Events
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Events
Coming up: September 10-16 10 - 11 September. Kigali, Rwanda. AFRICA CLIMATE CHANGE FORUM. The conference will bring together academic experts, business leaders, non-governmental organisations and policy makers with an interest in applied innovation and sustainable development in Africa. There will be a strong emphasis on constructive participation from all delegates, with the aim of…
- Resources
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Resources
THE LAW AND POLICY OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION by Peter Van den Bossche. August 2008. This book provides both a detailed examination of the law of the World Trade Organization and a clear introduction to the basic principles and underlying logic of the world trading system. It explores the institutional aspects of the WTO…