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WTO: Informal Consultations On Singapore Issues Ongoing
Informal consultations on the Singapore issues — investment, competition, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation — continue to play out at the Heads of Delegation (HOD) level at the WTO. According to delegates, General Council (GC) Chair Carlos Perez del Castillo has been meeting with delegations in smaller groups, holding a ‘Green Room’-style meeting…
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EU Position On Singapore Issues Expected In December; NGOs Target EC Decision-Making
The EU 133 Committee (an EU decision-making body for trade, in which members states are represented) met on 7 November to consider an EC report on negotiating strategies for the so-called Singapore issues of investment, competition, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation. According to trade sources, the meeting was "inconclusive," and a final decision…
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DSB: EC-US Disputes Top Agenda
Two major WTO disputes between the US and the EC have recently moved to a level where the EC is threatening to impose retaliatory measures: the US - Definitive Safeguard Measures on Imports of Certain Steel Products and the US - Tax Treatment for Foreign Sales Corporations. Meanwhile, the…
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TBT Committee Concludes Triennial Review
The WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) at its 7 November meeting concluded the third Triennial Review of the operation and implementation of the TBT Agreement. The Review of the TBT Agreement, which takes place every three years, focuses on issues related to good regulatory practice, conformity assessment procedures, transparency and technical assistance.…
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FTAA Mini-Ministerial Discusses Scope Of Agreement
Ministers from 14 countries met on 8-9 November near Washington, D.C., to prepare for the eighth Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Ministerial meeting in Miami, Florida. Following the meeting, the Argentinean and Brazilian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Rafael Bielsa and Celso Amorim, described the meeting as "positive and realistic", and said it helped…
- In Brief
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In Brief
EU POSTPONES DECISION ON RESTARTING BIOTECH APPROVALS During a 10 November meeting, the European Standing Committee on The Food Chain and Animal Health deferred a decision on whether to approve a strain of genetically modified maize — Syngenta’s Bt-11 — for food use in the EU. A…
- WTO in Brief
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Harbinson Quits As WTO AG Negotiations Chair
Stuart Harbinson announced on 6 November that he intends to give up the chairmanship of the special (negotiating) session of the WTO Committee on Agriculture (CoA). Harbinson, formerly the permanent representative of Hong Kong, China to the WTO, was chosen by WTO Members in February 2002 to chair the CoA special session. As former Chair…
- Events
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Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch. Coming Up: 13 - 19 November 10-14 November, Cavite City, Philippines: SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND TRADE. Oxfam International in cooperation…
- Resources
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RESOURCES
A LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN: WHO REALLY RUNS EU TRADE DECISION MAKING? By Elizabeth Drury (WWF, November 6 2003). The report, which focusses on EC trade policy-making, raises concerns about the dangers in allowing a "small group of influential trade specialists to dominate policy making". The author points out that such an approach could result in…