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WTO Ag Talks: Progress on Substance Must Determine Deadlines, Warn Members
WTO AG TALKS: PROGRESS ON SUBSTANCE MUST DETERMINE DEADLINES, WARN MEMBERS If trade ministers are indeed to meet in the foreseeable future to try to hammer out a Doha Round deal on cutting tariffs and farm subsidies, their gathering must be scheduled on the basis of substantive progress in the talks and not on arbitrary deadlines,…
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Persistent Divisions, Crowded Agenda Loom Over Doha Modalities Push
WTO Member delegations are still behaving as though a ministerial-level meeting will be held between mid-March and mid-April to reach a framework accord that would make it possible for the Doha Round negotiations to be concluded by the end of the year. But while trade missions in Geneva keep an eye on hotel availability for their…
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EU EPAs Could Inhibit South-South Trade Integration, Brazil Alleges
Brazil has alleged that a clause in the EU’s recent trade agreements with several former colonies could discourage these countries, among the world’s poorest, from pursuing deeper trade integration with other developing nations. This would run counter to a WTO principle aimed at increasing poor countries’ participation in global commerce, Brazil claims, adding that it sits…
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Interim WTO ruling goes against china in auto parts dispute
A WTO dispute panel has issued an interim ruling against China, largely upholding the complaints by the US, the EU and Canada that Beijing was levying inappropriate tariffs on imported auto parts, thus boosting its domestic industry. At issue are Chinese trade measures which charge a 25 percent tariff on automobile parts if they account for…
- In Brief
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Thailand and India prevail in dispute against us anti-dumping measures on shrimp
A WTO dispute panel ruled 29 February that US anti-dumping measures on shrimp imports from India and Thailand violated the WTO rules prohibiting importers from imposing policies other than extra duties to counter dumping. Gretchen Hamel, spokesperson for the US trade representative’s office, said that the panel findings were “mixed,” arguing that the panel rejected many…
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In Brief
AMID NEW TALKS, RUSSIA COULD COMPLETE WTO ACCESSION THIS YEAR Hoping to complete WTO accession negotiations as soon as possible, Russian negotiators held a series of bilateral and multilateral talks in Geneva this week. Russian officials met with representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Georgia to discuss bilateral trade relations. WTO accession procedures require…
- WTO in Brief
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US appeals compliance panel ruling in cotton dispute
The US has appealed a WTO decision which found that Washington had failed to comply with earlier rulings against US subsidies to cotton farmers. Gretchen Hamel, a spokesperson for the US trade representative’s office, said the US was appealing the ruling because it believed that its cotton sector reforms had “brought its programs into full compliance…
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WTO approves Aid for Trade roadmap
Director General Pascal Lamy received the go-ahead for his 2008 Aid for Trade roadmap from members of the WTO Committee for Trade and Development (CTD) during a 25 February session of the group. Mr Lamy welcomed the approval, saying that this year’s reviews will be “more focused, technical and results-oriented.” The Director General’s Aid for Trade…
- Events
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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. Coming up: 21-27 February 21-22 February. Nairobi, Kenya. EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON LAND FOR SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION IN AFRICA This expert group meeting will contribute to…