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Agreement on Ministerial Declaration Eluding Negotiators Before Seattle
The process to draft a Ministerial Declaration to outline the scope of negotiations that will emerge from the 30 November - 3 December in Seattle, U.S., continues to be deadlocked. The most recent version remains the text released on 19 October (available at http://www.ictsd.org/html/seattleministerial.htm ), which is essentially a compilation of tentative language distilled from…
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Agriculture Continues to Plant Seeds of Discord Among WTO Members
With less than two weeks left until the Third WTO Ministerial is to begin in Seattle, WTO Members remain unable to agree on a draft agenda for a new round of global trade talks. The scope of negotiations on agriculture — together with implementation — presents a major obstacle to the process. Significant differences remain between…
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Activists Prepare for Seattle
With only two weeks to go until the third WTO Ministerial Conference, over 5,000 trade delegates and dignitaries are busy preparing; so are the over 50, 000 activists, civil society members, and other interested parties expected to converge on Seattle. These latter groups will be attending the protests, workshops, forums, and rallies being held immediately…
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ATL Suffers Uncertain Future in Ministerial Declaration
WTO General Council Chairman Ali Said Mchumo last week announced that a so-called Accelerated Tariff Liberalisation scheme for eliminating tariffs in a number of areas did not have the support of most WTO Members, making ATL inclusion in the WTO Ministerial declaration uncertain. The ATL essentially calls for an early harvest in proposed negotiations for eight…
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Ecuador, U.S. Reject EU Banana Proposal. Ecuador to Cross-Retaliate
The European Commission on 10 November agreed to a revised banana import regime intended to comply with a 1997 ruling against its current banana import program. The WTO ruled in April 1999 that the EU had not complied with a 1997 WTO ruling against its banana import regime (see BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest Vol. 3,…
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Chile, Korea to Launch Trade Talks; EU, S. Africa Tipsy Over Sprits
The EU and South Africa missed a 31 October deadline for resolving outstanding issues around the EU-South Africa agreement on trade in wines and spirits. This annex agreement to a broader trade, development and co-operation agreement set to come into force in January 2000 will encompass 90 percent of the US$20 billion in annual bilateral…
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WTO Members Ponder Biotech Working Group
At a WTO Informal Heads of Delegation meeting on 6 November, the U.S. said it would seek the establishment of a WTO working group on biotechnology. While Canada and Japan have also called for similar working groups, the U.S. said its proposal called for a working group with a “well defined, narrow focus,” which would…
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In Brief
A grouping of European forest owners and industry groups have aligned to forge an alternative sustainable forestry management scheme to compete with the global Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The Pan European Forest Certification Scheme (PEFC) is a European alternative certification scheme intended to be better suited to small-scale private foresters than FSC certification (see BRIDGES…
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WTO In Brief
China and the U.S. on 14 November reached agreement on a bilateral market access package negotiated as part of China’s application to the WTO. Among the key components of the deal, China agreed to reduce average import tariffs to 17 percent from 22.1 percent; eliminate export subsidies; and grant substantially improved market access for U.S.…
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On the Move
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trade Minister John Horne on 1 November took over the presidency of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) grouping of developing countries. His term will run through April 2000. “Horne takes presidency of ACP grouping,” THE HERALD (St. Vincent-Grenadines), 10 November 1999. Margot Wallström, EC Commissioner for the Environment, informed a…
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WTO Ministerial Events
29 November, 17:30-19:30, Washington Athletic Club, Seattle: COCKTAIL RECEPTION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATORS FROM EUROPE, JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES. GLOBE USA and Friends of the Earth will be hosting a reception attended by Parliamentarians, press and organisations from the United States, Japan and Europe. U.S. Members of Congress, Members of the European Parliament, and Members…
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Events & Resources
For a more complete list of events, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at http://www.ictsd.org/html/calendar.htm WTO MEETINGS An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at http://www.wto.org/wto/about/meets.doc . Please bear in mind that dates and times of WTO meetings are often changed, and that the WTO does not always announce the important informal meetings of different…