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EU, US Target Chinese Export Restrictions
After months of speculation, the EU and the US on Tuesday launched a WTO case against Chinese export restrictions on a range of raw materials, saying that they intend to level the playing field for their domestic manufacturers. Beijing countered that the export curbs are justified on environmental grounds and that it intends to contest…
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Gust of Optimism Lifts Geneva Ag Talks: Sudden Squall or Steady Breeze?
The new chair of the WTO agriculture talks has told Members that he will restart consultations with a selected group of negotiators in July, following signs of re-engagement from major trading powers such as the US and India. Geneva-based officials welcomed the move, although many privately queried whether progress could be achieved without ongoing involvement…
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New Issues Arise in EU-US Beef Trade Dispute
In May, the US and the EU struck a deal promising to end a long-standing feud over trade in beef. But that agreement came under fire last week, when several other beef-producing countries said that the deal would unfairly discriminate against their exports. Under the memorandum of understanding that Washington and Brussels agreed ‘in principle’…
- In Brief
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Peru Overturns Land Laws in Wake of Violence
Two controversial laws that loosened development restrictions in Peru’s Amazon regions have been repealed after dozens were killed in clashes between indigenous protesters and police. Observers say the move could trigger a re-evaluation of the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, which entered into force on 1 February. Protests over the laws - which demonstrators say would have…
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ILO Summit Inks ‘Global Jobs Pact’
Heads of state, ministers, and labour specialists from over 160 countries discussed job creation strategies at the International Labour Organisation’s Summit on the Global Jobs Crisis, held 15-17 June in Geneva. At the heart of the summit was the Global Jobs Pact, or GJP, an ILO proposal offering a multifaceted approach to creating and maintaining jobs.…
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EU, West Africa Push EPA Deadline from June to October
June will come and go without the expected conclusion to trade talks between the European Union and a group of West African countries, the parties said after meeting in Brussels last week. Instead, the parties now expect to sign an economic partnership agreement (EPA) in October. “Nigeria along with other major regional stakeholder nations such as…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO Appoints Ramírez, Van den Bossche to Appellate Body
Ricardo Ramírez Hernández of Mexico and Peter Van den Bossche of Belgium will become the next two members of the WTO’s highest court, the organisation announced on Friday. David Unterhalter of South Africa has been appointed to a second term on the seven-member Appellate Body. The appointments were officially made at a meeting of the WTO’s…
- Events
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Events
25 June, Geneva, Switzerland. SERVICES TRADE AND POLICY: WHAT DOES THE DATA SHOW? This seminar, organised by the World Bank Institute, will focus on one segment of trade that has weathered the financial crisis somewhat better than others: trade in services. In general, goods trade receives a lot of attention, predominately because data on trade…
- Resources
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Resources
THE AFRICA COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 2009. The World Economic Forum, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank, June 2009. This annual report finds that African businesses can become far more competitive, but African governments and their international partners will need to improve access to finance, resist pressure to erect trade barriers, upgrade infrastructure, improve healthcare…