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Busy Agriculture Week Focuses On Market Access
With the end-July target for "first approximations" of an eventual agriculture deal rapidly approaching, Members spent the latest week of agriculture talks focusing principally on market access issues, the area in which it is proving toughest to forge agreement. The Committee on Agriculture (CoA) Special (negotiating) Session met from 30 May - 3 June, mainly…
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Biosafety Protocol: Labelling Talks Break Down Over Trade Concerns
After long and difficult discussions, negotiations on documentation requirements for shipments of living modified organisms for use as food, feed, or for processing (LMO-FFPs) finally broke down on the last day of the second Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOP-2), gathering from 30 May - 3 June in Montreal, Canada.…
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NAMA Week: APEC Declaration Said To Indicate ‘Some Convergence’
A small degree of convergence started to become evident in several Members’ negotiating positions during the first two days of a week of talks on non-agricultural market-access (NAMA) at the WTO, according to Geneva-based sources. A recent joint statement on the WTO NAMA negotiations by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries (see related story, this issue)…
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Rules Group Takes Small Steps Toward July
A week of discussions in the WTO Negotiating Group on Rules came to a close on 3 June. The talks consisted largely of formal and informal meetings on aspects of the antidumping agreement and fisheries subsidies, but the closing session saw Members calling for speedier progress in the run-up…
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WIPO Members Fail To Reach Agreement At Patent Harmonisation Meeting
Differences between developed and developing countries on how to multilaterally harmonise patent law and procedures widened at the recent meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP). The two camps are proposing conflicting strategies on how to proceed with patent harmonisation. No…
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APEC Trade Ministers Discuss WTO, Regional Trade
Trade ministers from the 21 members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum jointly expressed their "grave concern" with the slow progress of the Doha Round trade negotiations at a 2-3 June meeting in Jeju, Korea (see BRIDGES Weekly, 1 June 2005). A ministerial statement issued at the…
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Vacancies
The Sustainable Development Programme at Chatham House seeks a Senior Research Fellow focused on Climate Change, Trade and Competitiveness. The researcher will have sufficient experience to take overall responsibility for developing, fundraising and overseeing cutting-edge research on climate change. The research will place particular emphasis on the economic and business aspects of the climate change…
- In Brief
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In Brief
BRAZIL MOVES TO BREAK AIDS DRUG PATENTS; ANALYSTS MOOT PATENT-BREAKING AS WTO RETALIATION On 1 June 2005 the Justice and Constitution Commission in Brazil’s lower house of Congress unanimously voted to disregard product and process patents on drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS. The draft legislation requires approval from the upper chamber before the president can sign…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
LDCs SAY MORE TIME NEEDED FOR S&D PROPOSALS An informal consultation on special and differential treatment (S&D) at the WTO on 3 June failed to make substantive progress after least developed countries (LDCs) said they were not yet ready to discuss redrafting their S&D proposals. At the last meeting of the Committee on Trade and Development Special…
- Resources
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Resources
THE REGULATION OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE (3RD EDITION). By Robert Howse and Michael Trebilcock. Routledge, 2005. Drawing on prior highly-praised editions, this comprehensive text is an invaluable guide to individuals involved in economics, law, politics and international relations. Fully updated, this new edition includes full coverage of new developments including the Doha Round and the growing…