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Ruggiero Seeks Truce in Banana War
As BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest went to press, U.S. and EU negotiators were to decide on a last-ditch proposal put forward by WTO Director General Renato Ruggiero to stop the EU-U.S. banana dispute from escalating into a damaging trade war between the two trade powers. Mr. Ruggiero’s plan would require the U.S. to postpone its…
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EU Moves Closer to Cap Reform
The EU last week moved closer to approving reforms to its Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) before WTO talks on agriculture begin later this year. Germany, Spain and France softened opposition to the proposed reform package. France last week agreed to a “degressive payments” scheme to reduce direct payments paid to agricultural producers. Germany also signalled…
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Clinton Supports Millennium Round
U.S. President Bill Clinton last week called for a new round of multilateral trade negotiations and for measures geared toward “institution-building” at the WTO. The Clinton Administration favours a global trade round to last about three years, shorter than previous trade rounds such as the Uruguay Round that took seven years to complete. The U.S.…
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U.S. Warns on GMO Trade Under Biosafety Accord
As negotiators ready for the final round of biosafety accord negotiations, scheduled for Feb. 14-23 in Cartagena, Colombia, the U.S. warned that the accord should not interfere with trade in genetically modified organisms. As part of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted at UNCED in 1992, it was agreed in 1995 that an international protocol…
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EU, Mexico Meet to Negotiate Free Trade Accord
Trade officials from the EU and Mexico met last week in Brussels for the second round of talks toward achieving a bilateral trade accord. The EU is Mexico’s second largest trading partner after the U.S., and is eager to gain a stronger foothold in the US$185 billion Mexican market. The free trade agreement would help…
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India Heal Thyself With Regulation of Medicinal Plants
India - home to more than 7,500 species of medicinal plants, is a leading supplier (along with China and Brazil) to the booming global market for medicinal plants, estimated to be worth US$60 billion annual. However, while the plants may provide a cure for what ails humans and animals, booming trade in medicinal plants could…
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In Brief
Worldwatch Institute last week released its millennium-edition STATE OF THE WORLD report, predicting an environmentally-based economic decline in the next century unless resources are shifted to foster a sustainable economic model in which energy, water, land, and materials are used much more efficiently. Deforestation, falling water tables, and accelerating climate change could undermine economies…
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WTO In Brief
The U.S. this week is expected to raise objections to safeguard provisions outlined in the patent regime India put forward last month to comply with a 1998 WTO ruling (see BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest Vol. 3, No 1-2, January 18, 1999). The U.S. objects to India’s requirement of compulsory licensing, which the U.S. argues…
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Events & Resources
• EVENTS WTO Meetings 5 February 1999: Council for Trade in Goods. For information contact Nuch Nazeer, WTO, tel: (41-22) 739-5393. 8-10 February 1999: Textiles Monitoring Body. For information contact Luis Ople, WTO, tel: (41-22) 739-5374. 9 February 1999: Council for Trade in Services. For information contact Nuch Nazeer, WTO, as above. 10-12 February 1999: Committee on Regional Trade Agreements.…
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New ICTSD Publications/New ICTSD Emails
Over the last year, ICTSD has launched several new publications and resources. For copies of these, please contact ICTSD at the address below. PUENTES entre el comercio y el desarrollo sostenible is the Latin American version of BRIDGES Between Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD’s Monthly publication). PUENTES is published five times a year, in collaboration with…