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Goods Council Fails to Reach Agreements on Waivers
On 7 July the WTO Council for Trade in Goods met to discuss, inter alia, requests for waivers of obligations under Article 3.4 of GATT and requests for the extension of the transition period pursuant to Article 5.3 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs). EU submitted waiver requests for preferential treatment of the…
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WTO Environment Committee Meets With MEAs
WTO Members met last week from 5-6 July at the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) for two full days of discussion and debate on a range of topics. The focus of the meeting was on the linkages between the multilateral environment and trade agendas; to this end an Information Session with four Secretariats of…
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News From The Regions: North America
A bilateral free trade agreement between Mexico and the EU signed on 23 March 2000 took effect on 1 July. Mexico hopes the accord will help diversify its export market, now overwhelmingly dependent on the US. The EU hopes the deal will greatly increase the competitiveness of EU products in Mexico and give the bloc…
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Dispute Settlement Update: Bananas and Aircraft
Resolution of Banana Dispute Once Again at an Impasse On 5 July the EU announced its latest proposals in an attempt to bring the ongoing banana dispute to a close. The Commission proposed the following strategy: it will continue to study a transnational system of tariff quotas, but at this stage on a “first come, first…
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Agriculture Briefs: US, EU, Multifunctionality
US Agriculture Aid On 30 May, the Australian government foreshadowed a WTO challenge over the latest US farm aid legislation. The legislation, passed by the US Congress in late May, provides US farmers with an US$8.2 billion crop insurance program and US$7.1 billion in financial aid. According to Australian Agriculture Minister Warren Truss, “what it in…
- Special Section
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Corrigendum
BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest published a story in Vol. 4, No. 26 (4 July 2000) reporting on the meeting at the WTO of the Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture. In our reporting on topics of discussion at the meeting, we stated: “One of the most fractious debates at the WTO — that…
- In Brief
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Experts Tackle Protection Of Traditional Knowledge at UNCTAD Meeting
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Experts Meeting on Systems and National Experiences for protecting Traditional Knowledge (TK), Innovations and Practices was held in Geneva from 30 October to 1 November. The meeting brought together representatives of national governments, intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), and non- governmental organisations (NGOs) in what participants described…
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In Brief
CALL FOR CIVIL SOCIETY INPUT TO FTAA. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society has extended an invitation to civil society in FTAA participating countries to express written submissions of their views on the FTAA process. The Committee was established as a mechanism to…
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In Brief
The US on 6 July announced that Belarus had been suspended from the list of countries enjoying duty-free access to the US market under the US Generalised System of Preferences. US President Bill Clinton said the suspension was triggered when the it determined that “Belarus has not taken and is not taking steps to afford…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
A joint meeting between six core international agencies - the WTO, International Trade Centre (ITC), IMF, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Development Program (UNDP), and World Bank and WTO yielded agreement on a series of measures designed to boost the so- called Integrated Framework for trade-related technical assistance to least-developed countries…
- Events
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Events
11 July, Geneva: FOLLOW-UP SESSION ON WTO INFORMAL GENERAL COUNCIL (preparatory meeting for 17 July formal General Council). For information contact: Keith Rockwell, WTO Information and Media Relations, (41-22) 739-5015. 11-13 July, Geneva: WTO COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT. For information contact Luis Ople, WTO Information and Media Relations, (41- 22) 739-5374. 11-13 July, Kathmandu, Nepal:…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the BRIDGES staff to hcameron@ictsd.ch. Submissions of publications to ICTSD’s documentation centre would also be welcome (contact mgalvin@ictsd.ch ). Electronic Resources UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2000. Available on…