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Indian Parliament Approves Controversial Patent Bill
The Indian parliament has approved a controversial patent bill that would make it illegal for domestic companies to make generic copies of patented drugs. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and health advocacy groups were especially critical of the legislation’s provisions for the production of generic drugs, proclaiming the law to represent "the beginning of the end of…
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Agriculture Negotiations: Technical Work Ongoing
The latest ‘agriculture week’ at the WTO ended on 18 March. Informal negotiations continue, however, on the process for converting ’specific’ agricultural tariffs based on imported quantities into ‘ad valorem’ equivalents (AVEs), i.e., tariffs based upon the price of the product. Establishing AVEs is a pre-condition for addressing the tariff reduction formula that…
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Members Continue To Differ Over NAMA Formula
During WTO talks on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) last week, Brazil and India argued that US and EU proposals for reducing tariffs on industrial goods would disproportionately affect developing countries. The ‘NAMA week’ concluded on 18 March with a meeting of the Negotiating Group on Market Access. The week saw several informal bilateral and plurilateral meetings,…
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G-20 Ministers Solidify Agriculture Position
Trade ministers from the G-20 — a group of developing countries formed in the lead-up to the September 2003 Cancun WTO Ministerial in order to counterbalance the dominant role played by developed countries in the agriculture negotiations — met in New Delhi, India, from 18-19 March. Following two days of discussions, which were also attended…
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WTO Members Adopt Panel And Appellate Body Decisions In Cotton Dispute
WTO Members at the 21 March meeting of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) adopted the reports of the dispute settlement panel and the Appellate Body that found US cotton subsidies to be in violation of WTO rules (see BRIDGES Weekly, 9 March 2005). All parties to the dispute had the opportunity to comment on the…
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EU To Modify Rules Of Origin For Trade Preference Schemes
The European Commission (EC), the executive body of the EU, has adopted a plan to develop a new, simplified set of rules of origin for its trade preference schemes, particularly the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). ‘Rules of origin’ are a set of requirements that govern whether goods are eligible for the lower rates of customs…
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Call For Applications
ICTSD is urgently seeking to establish a roster of experienced editors and copy-editors interested in freelance work on reports and other ad hoc publications on a range of issues related to trade policy. Mother-tongue level of English required. Please contact Deborah Vorhies for further details at dvorhies@ictsd.ch. …
- In Brief
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In Brief
ROB PORTMAN TO SUCCEED ZOELLICK AS USTR US President George W. Bush announced on 17 March the appointment of Rob Portman to be the next United States Trade Representative (USTR), pending Senate approval. The 49-year-old Republican representative in the lower house of the US Congress, a former trade lawyer who is a close ally of the…
- WTO in Brief
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Canada, EU Criticised In AG Committee Regular Session
WTO DIRECTOR-GENERAL REMINDS MEMBERS ‘TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE’ TO MEET DEADLINES Addressing WTO Members’ Heads of Delegation at a 21 March informal meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi commended Members on their ‘good start’ on the path towards the December 2005 WTO Hong Kong Ministerial, but cautioned that there…
- Events
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Events
EVENTS For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. If you would like to submit an event, please email us. Coming up: 24 March - 6 April 31 March, Cape Town, South Africa: WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT — AN AFRICAN VIEW. Organised by the Trade Law Centre for Southern…
- Resources
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Resources
A DECADE OF FDI LIBERALIZATION: THE EVIDENCE. By Stephen J. Kobrin. UNCTAD, April 2005. This is a study of changes in regulations affecting inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) during the 1990s. It confirms the shift in developing countries from state-directed, inward-looking economic strategies to an acceptance of markets and integration into the world economy.…