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Preference Erosion List Marks 'New Era' in WTO Farm Talks
Alongside December’s landmark deal on banana tariffs, a new proposal put forward in the WTO’s agriculture talks offers a potential resolution of long-standing differences among exporters of tropical farm products. African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) have long sought to maintain the preferential market access that they enjoy for their exports of ‘tropical products’…
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US-China Disputes Round-Up
Washington and Beijing’s sometimes-fractious trade relationship saw several new developments over the winter holidays. One dispute ended as China pulled back from its ‘famous brands’ subsidies; another came to a close after a WTO Appellate Body upheld a ruling on China’s distribution of copyrighted products; a third - a complaint over China’s export restrictions on…
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Trade Facilitation Draft Text Holds Promise for Developing Countries
Import duties and non-tariff barriers to trade - import bans, labelling requirements, and the like - are much less of an obstacle to the flow of international trade than they were a generation ago. Today, a different problem has come into focus, especially among developing nations: the numerous regulatory and logistical challenges to bringing goods…
- In Brief
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Incoming EU Trade Commissioner ‘Confident’ in Doha Outcome
The European Union’s trade commissioner-designate told Members of the European Parliament yesterday that he is “quite confident” that a Doha Round trade deal can be struck this year or next, and that concluding the round is a top priority. The remarks came during a three-hour question-and-answer session in Brussels that marked the first morning of confirmation…
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US Senate Makes Progress in Filling Key Trade Posts
The US Senate confirmed one key trade official and took steps toward filling two other critical trade posts over the winter holidays. Miriam Sapiro was confirmed to the post of Deputy US Trade Representative, in which she will be responsible for trade negotiations with Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Sapiro will also supervise the…
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Chile Joins the OECD
In a signing ceremony on Monday, Chile became the first South American country to win membership into the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the exclusive club of industrialised nations. The ceremony in Santiago followed more than two and a half years of intensive negotiations, government reforms and economic and policy reviews. The country’s membership will…
- Events
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Events
20-21 January, Geneva, Switzerland. REDEFINING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE INTERNATIONAL AGENDA: INSPIRING GREATER ENGAGEMENT IN BIODIVERSITY ISSUES. This seminar will provide a collaborative platform to discuss the need to redefine sustainability and will emphasise the contribution of businesses and consumers to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the 2010 Biodiversity Target. Through…
- Resources
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Resources
CONCLUDE DOHA: IT MATTERS! By Bernard Hoekman, Will Martin and Aaditya Mattoo. The World Bank, 2009. The Doha Round must be concluded not because it will produce dramatic liberalisation but because it will create greater security of market access, the authors of this working paper argue. Its conclusion would strengthen, symbolically and substantively, the WTO’s…