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Industrial Goods Talks Examine Non-Tariff Barriers
Tariffs are far from the only obstacle keeping goods out of potential export markets. A country’s various technical regulations, health and safety standards, and certification and labelling requirements, can all make it harder for companies elsewhere to get their wares into its market. Although these policies are often intended to promote legitimate objectives like consumer protection,…
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Climate Talks Drift Slowly from Barcelona to Copenhagen
Another round of climate change negotiations concluded on Friday, 6 November, with minimal advances. The week-long meeting in Barcelona, Spain marked the final week of a three-week session begun in Bangkok, Thailand in October. The Barcelona meetings were also the final round of negotiations prior to the UN climate convention’s Conference of the Parties (COP),…
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G20 Finance Ministers Fall Short on Climate Finance, Subsidies: NGOs
Finance ministers from the Group of 20 rich and emerging economies achieved broad consensus on economic stimulus plans at their meeting on 6-7 November in St Andrews, Scotland. But, to the dismay of many in civil society, the ministers fell short of conclusive agreements on how they plan to cut fossil fuel subsidies and finance…
- Special Section
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Copenhagen Countdown: Border Carbon Adjustment
Each week leading up to the UNFCCC’s 15th Conference of the Parties, Bridges Weekly will be providing readers with background and analysis on key issues facing negotiators as they prepare for December’s meeting in Copenhagen. This week’s article highlights the ongoing debate over the use of unilateral trade measures in the name of climate protection. Should…
- In Brief
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US Wants More Access to South Korean Auto Market: USTR
Washington’s top trade official insisted last week that the United States is “not standing still” on a free trade pact with South Korea that has sat un-ratified in the US Senate for over two years. But the White House wants Seoul to further open its market to US auto imports before lawmakers vote on the…
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NGOs Cry Foul as ACTA Talks Continue
The sixth round of negotiations toward an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) took place in Seoul, Korea last week, but detailed content of the talks has yet to be disclosed, save for a short press release by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). According to the statement, the discussions focused on rights enforcement…
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WIPO Enforcement Committee Gives Development Concerns Centre Stage
The World Intellectual Property Organization’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement met from 2 to 4 November to discuss the involvement of right holders in enforcement and how the organisation can promote an environment of respect for intellectual property rights. The talks were driven by a consideration of Recommendation 45 of the WIPO Development Agenda, which states…
- WTO in Brief
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Banana Deal Expected Next Week with Promise of Aid for ACP
Trade officials have been meeting intensively for the last two weeks in an ongoing effort to finalise a deal to conclude a long-running dispute over banana tariffs at the WTO. Officials say they hope to conclude the talks ahead of the WTO’s ministerial conference, which is set to begin on 30 November, and an announcement…
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Members Approve Ministerial Wording on ‘TRIPS Non-Violation’, E-Commerce
With less than three weeks remaining before trade ministers descend on Geneva for the WTO’s seventh ministerial conference, trade delegates at the organisation’s headquarters are preparing wording for a ministerial decision to be issued at the meeting’s close. The delegates found agreement on wording on two issues - ‘TRIPS non-violation complaints’ and electronic commerce…
- Events
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Events
11-13 November, New Delhi, India. A BETTER FUTURE FOR HUMANITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) IN A CHANGING WORLD: NEW CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. The event is organised by The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in cooperation with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Government…
- Resources
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Resources
FREE TRADE UNDER FIRE, 3RD EDITION. By Douglas A. Irwin. Princeton University Books, October, 2009. Growing international trade has helped lift living standards around the world, and yet free trade is always under attack. Critics complain that trade forces painful economic adjustments, such as plant closings and layoffs of workers, and charge that the World…