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Brazil Takes Aim at US Intellectual Property in Cotton Dispute
Upping the ante in a long-running trade spat with the United States, Brazil announced on Monday that it intends to break US patents and intellectual property rights in retaliation against Washington’s failure to put an end to its illegal cotton subsidies. The publishing of the list of 21 proposed intellectual property sanctions follows the announcement last…
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US-China Exchange Rate Tensions Climb
Tensions between Washington and Beijing over China’s currency policies rose sharply during the past week, as the Chinese leadership and US lawmakers traded accusations of protectionism over the value of the yuan. A group of US senators announced legislation on Tuesday that would slap extra duties on imports from China if it did not allow its…
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Trans-Pacific Trade Talks Kick Off in Australia
Negotiations toward a deal to open up trade among eight countries along the Pacific Rim got going in Melbourne, Australia on Monday. Expectations are high as some observers predict that the resulting deal, dubbed the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, could be the foundation of a free trade area that eventually spans the entire Pacific region. In the…
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Countries Weigh Ban on Bluefin Tuna Trade
Momentum carrying the bluefin tuna towards an endangered species listing - and an effective trade ban - appears to be slowing as key countries align themselves with Japan, which strongly opposes such a prohibition. Shortly before the start of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of…
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Implementation of EU FTAs with Colombia, Peru Could Progress Unevenly
New details have emerged about the trade deals that the EU initialled with Colombia and Peru last month. The pacts are set to be signed by heads of state at a summit in Madrid in May, but both agreements must still be approved by lawmakers. The deal with Colombia could stumble on this front, while…
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EU Sparks Controversy with Approval of GM Potato
In a departure from traditional policy, the EU has approved German chemical company BASF’s genetically modified (GM) Amflora potato for industrial cultivation. The move has sparked controversy over the crop’s antibiotic resistant properties, which critics say could impact antimicrobials - substances that help destroy or resist disease-causing microorganisms. The decision to approve the…
- In Brief
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EU Parliament Criticises Secrecy of ACTA Negotiations in Landslide Vote
In a 633 to 13 vote, with 16 abstentions, the European Parliament approved on 10 March a non-binding resolution that expresses concern over the European Commission’s handling of ongoing negotiations toward a multi-state deal to clamp down on violations of intellectual property rights. The resolution found fault with the Commission over several negotiating points that have…
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Study Claims ‘Outsourcing’ of Rich Country CO2 Emissions
Over one third of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the consumption of goods and services in many European countries are produced offshore, according to a new study by two researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science. The authors argue that ‘international carbon leakage’ would be better measured by adding up the amount of CO2 released…
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MEPs Inch toward Country-of-Origin Labelling Requirements for Food
The European Union moved one step closer to country-of-origin food labelling after a vote in the European Parliament’s Environment and Consumer Protection Committee on Tuesday. The committee members approved a report requiring clear country of origin labelling on meat, poultry, dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables and other single-ingredient foods. The committee also voted to require the…
- WTO in Brief
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Farm Subsidies: Exporters Quiz EU
EU agriculture policies came under scrutiny last week at the year’s first meeting of the WTO’s regular committee on agriculture. Exporting countries quizzed the EU on its subsidy spending at the 10 March gathering, including on new data on farm support recently released by the trade bloc. Australia questioned the methods used by the EU to…
- Events
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Events
18 March, London, UK. GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES: THE IMPACT OF REGULATION ON COMPETITIVENESS. As the global financial crisis shows early signs of receding, this is a key moment to ask what will be the likely future shape and structure of financial services firms. If moves to regulate the industry more tightly are successful, what impact…
- Resources
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Resources
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION POLICIES IN SELECTED OECD COUNTRIES: TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. By Diarmuid Torney and Moustapha Kamal Gueye. ICTSD, December 2009. Activity to date in the attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been patchy and slow, and many governments are failing to live up to past commitments. Nonetheless, policies to…