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Work Continues on May Agriculture Draft
A possible further revision of the 19 May draft modalities for concluding the Doha Round negotiations on agriculture could help senior officials inch toward a compromise on some important technical issues ahead of a ministerial showdown expected in late June or early July. However, it should be said at the outset that key differences remain…
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Doha Round at Crossroads
Reactions to the latest draft negotiating texts on agriculture and industrial market access point to a difficult time ahead if a preliminary Doha Round deal is to be struck in June or early July. The two papers, released on 19 May, reflect a persistent gap in positions on the main points of contention rather than…
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Rising World Food Prices: How to Address the Problem?
Strong and new forces of change in the world food equation are transforming food consumption, production and markets. Unlike the pattern prevailing for the past few decades, today’s global agricultural system is very much driven by the demand side. With income growth in emerging economies, globalisation and urbanisation, the demand for agricultural products will continue to…
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Members Call for Changes in Proposed Fisheries Rules
WTO Members disagreed in April on the extent to which future multilateral rules on fisheries subsidies should include exceptions for payments to the small-scale fishing sector, as Canada and some other developed countries sought controversial exemptions for their own industry. At the centre of the disagreement was a new informal proposal from Canada to allow…
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Signalling Conference on Services Planned
Preparations are underway for a high-level conference on services, but the significance of the event remains vague. While some see it as a simple matter of signalling that the negotiations are moving forward, others seek more specific indications of potential future market access commitments. The main demandeurs for the conference are the EU, the US…
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Trade & Environment Talks Need Boost from Other Areas
Progress in the Doha Round negotiations on trade and the environment remains sluggish, with little convergence in any of the key areas of the talks, including the scope of the mandate itself and the definition of products and services slated for deeper liberalisation on environmental grounds. At an early May session of the Committee on…
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Will the WTO Mandate Stand up against the Tragedy of the Commons in Fisheries?
The Doha negotiations on fisheries provide a significant opportunity to address overcapacity and overfishing. However, to be effective, future subsidy disciplines need to be coupled with stronger fishery management regimes, including in both public and private access agreements. Overexploitation and risk of stock depletion remain a pressing concern in the fisheries sector. In 2004, the…
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The Local Content Paradox at the WTO: A Minor Lapse or Lapse or Organised Hypocrisy?
Contradictory provisions on the use of local content requirements under WTO rules on investment measures on the one hand, and preferential trade arrangements on the other, raise legitimate questions about developed country adherence to the principle of comparative advantage. The multilateral trading system is largely founded on the concept of economic efficiency. One example of…
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The Colombia Free Trade Agreement, the Twenty-year Itch and the Doha Round
While some see an ill omen for the Doha Round in the tug of war between the US Congress and administration on the Colombia free trade agreement, this confrontation is just the latest outbreak in a twenty-year itch that both sides know how to scratch. In April, President Bush did something unprecedented, sending to Capitol…
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New US Farm Bill Could Complicate WTO Negotiations
The US Congress has approved a new US$307 billion farm with majorities large enough to override President George W. Bush’s veto. The legislation largely continues the current system of agricultural subsidies for the next five years. Admittedly, much of the lavish support in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act is directed to purposes that…
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EU Debate Launched on CAP Reform
On 20 May, the European Commission issued a proposal for a modest set of reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy, but many member states oppose any significant changes. While the current CAP is set to run until 2013, the ‘health check’ tabled by the commission would convert almost all product-specific subsidies still maintained by…
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Climate Change: Focus on Technology
Meeting in Bangkok in early April, climate change negotiators started grappling with key traderelated issues, such as intellectual property rights and competitiveness concerns. Delegates also considered the responsibilities that countries could take on in the post-Kyoto climate regime they hope agree on by 2009. India proposed basing future commitments on per capita emissions,…
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Considerations for an International Instrument on Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright
In the last decade, the delineation of the conditions of access to copyrighted works, as well as the integration of viable access mechanisms into the international copyright regulatory framework, have become one of the most controversial topics in international copyright law. The emergence of technological protection mechanisms, often reinforced by one-sided…
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Election Year Trade Politics in the US
The notion of rules-based open trade, which the US did so much to entrench in the international system, faces turbulent times ahead in Washington. In an election year marked by economic uncertainty and voters worried about falling house prices, inflation and the prospect of job losses, US politicians have not leapt to make nuanced arguments about…
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TRIMs & Local Content
A ‘local content requirement’ under the WTO Agreement on Trade-related Investment Measures (TRIMs) refers to a government obliging enterprises operating in its territory to source all or part of the components of their manufacturing processes from domestic suppliers. This practice is prohibited under TRIMs Article III:4 – even if it is applied to domestic and…
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EU-Korea Update
The seventh round of free trade negotiations between the EU and South Korea ended on 15 May with negotiators aiming conclude the agreement within the year. The two sides made progress on various ‘behind the border’ issues, such as standards and certification requirements. Seoul also indicated its willingness to consider the EU’s request for enhanced…
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EU Biofuel Target Questioned
The Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency (EEA) has called for a rethink of the EU-wide target of requiring biofuels to account for at least 10 percent of vehicle fuel by 2020. The target was set only last year in an effort to curb steadily rising green house gas emissions from the road transport…