-
DSB Establishes Panel on U.S. Section 301 Law
The WTO Dispute Settlement Body last week - responding to the second request by the EU, established a panel to determine whether the U.S.’ Section 301 law violates international trade rules. Section 301 is a mechanism used by the U.S. Trade Representative to identify what it deems to be unfair trade practices faced by U.S.…
-
Say Cheese: US-EU in Fisticuffs Over Bananas
As BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest went to press, the WTO was to meet in an emergency session called by the EU in response to the U.S. decision last week to take steps toward trade retaliation against EU exports in the EU-U.S. dispute over the EU banana import regime. While the EU cannot force the…
-
EU-U.S. Beef Dispute Continues to Simmer
EU and US officials last week were scheduled to meet again in an effort to resolve their dispute over an EU ban on hormone-treated beef imports. The WTO Appellate Body in February 1998 ruled that the EU ban on beef treated with growth hormones was not based on adequate scientific evidence and so violates international…
-
EU Ministers Divided Over GMO Regulations
Divisions among EU ministers over how to revise the EU regulatory scheme for approving genetically modified organisms (GMOs) released into the environment have ostensibly forced the issue off the agenda for the 11-12 March meeting of the EU Council of Environment Ministers. It had been anticipated that Environmental Ministers would at that time discuss…
-
Caricom Fires Warning Shot Against U.S. in Banana War
The Caribbean Community (Caricom) this past weekend (7 March) threatened to renege on a treaty to fight drug trafficking with the U.S. in retaliation for U.S. moves to impose trade sanctions against the EU in the U.S.-EU dispute over the EU banana import regime (see related story in this issue). Caricom leaders said they would reconsider…
-
U.K. Official Calls for Development Round
Addressing the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) last week, Clare Short, U.K. Secretary of State for International Development called for the next round of global trade talks - commonly referred to the Millennium Round, to be dubbed the “Development Round.” The next round of trade talks, Ms. Short said, “provides an opportunity for the…
-
Image Problems at The WTO
Venezuela last month urged WTO Members to support a campaign to shore up the image of the WTO, noting that the “negative institutional image of the WTO could have a negative impact on the organisation’s credibility and future development.” Venezuela noted that the WTO is perceived more and more - in developing countries in particular…
-
In Brief
The so-called D-8 group of developing Islamic countries met last week in Dhaka where members pledged greater economic co-operation and agreed to work together to address the challenges posed by trade globalisation. The D-8 called for a “balanced” agenda at the upcoming Third WTO Ministerial, urging the WTO to address issues of interest to both…
-
WTO In Brief
The WTO’s Committee on Trade and Development met last week, and the Committee on Trade and Environment met late last month. BRIDGES Between Trade and Sustainable Development will report on these meetings in its March 1999 issue. The EU last week signalled it would not back an U.S. plan to conclude a global tariff agreement covering…
-
Events & Resources
• EVENTS For a more complete list of events in coming months, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at: http://www.ictsd.org/html/calendar.htm WTO Meetings 11 March: COMMITTEE ON MARKET ACCESS. For information contact Luis Ople, WTO, tel: (41-22) 739-5374. 16 March: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY. Informal meeting on the Review of the Dispute Settlement Understanding. For information, contact Nuch…