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DSB Update: EC-Sugar, US-Cotton
Two major agriculture cases — targeting subsidies in the EC sugar sector and the US cotton sector — recently saw a first submission from the EC, and new data provision from the US. Both cases were initiated before the expiry of the so called ‘peace clause’ under which Members agreed to refrain from challenging each…
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WTO Rules Group Switching To Informal Mode To Address Numerous Proposals
The WTO Negotiating Group on Rules gathered on 16 March for its first meeting after the failed Cancun ministerial conference in September last year. The group, which focuses on the review and improvement of WTO rules that govern issues such as dumping, antidumping measures, subsidies and countervailing measures has seen over 150 submissions on all…
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Services: Deadline For ESM Extended, ASEAN Submits New ESM Proposal
On 15 March — the deadline for concluding negotiations on an emergency safeguard measure (ESM) in trade in services — WTO Members agreed to extend the deadline indefinitely. Under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The results of the ESM negotiations should, originally, have entered into effect by the end of 1997. However,…
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Japan, Mexico Reach Free Trade Agreement
After 16 months of often tough negotiations, Mexico and Japan reached a free trade accord on 12 March, to be signed in June and set to enter into force in January 2005. Mexico is the second country with which Japan has signed a free trade agreement (FTA); the first being Singapore. The final agreement was…
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Kyoto Protocol In Force In The EU
On 11 March, a decision by the European Parliament entered into force, making the Kyoto Protocol legally binding in the EU. The decision spells out how greenhouse gas emissions are monitored and reported, and was the final piece of legislation needed to operationalise all aspects of the Kyoto Protocol in the EU. EU Environment Commissioner…
- In Brief
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FTA Negotiations Postponed Until April
US LABOUR UNIONS CALL FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST CHINA AFL-CIO, the largest US labour federation, filed a trade complaint with the US Trade Representative on 16 March asking the Bush administration to impose economic sanctions on China. According to the 13 million member federation, ”the Chinese government’s persistent pattern of violating international standards of workers’ rights…
- 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. ICTSD Events 19 March, Geneva, Switzerland: EXPLORING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DIMENSIONS OF GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS. Jointly organised with Institut de Développement…
- Resources
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Resources
ICTSD Resources ICTSD TRADE & ENVIRONMENT WEB PORTAL: http://www.trade-environment.org. On 15 March, ICTSD launched trade-environment.org, a web portal at the crossroads of international trade and the environment. The site contains a wide range of key resources related to trade, environment and sustainable development. It includes the latest news on T&E, a calendar of T&E events, links…