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WIPO Members Agree On Development Agenda
Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) last week reached an agreement on recommendations for reforms aimed at ensuring that development concerns are placed at the heart of the work of the UN agency. In the fourth and final session of the committee dealing with the ‘development agenda’ talks, held in Geneva from 11-15 June,…
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G-4 Meeting Underway In Potsdam; Other Members Await Convergence, Chairs' Texts
Trade ministers from the EU, Brazil, India, and the US have kicked off a new attempt to resolve their differences in the deadlocked Doha Round negotiations in order to bolster chances of salvaging a multilateral agreement by the end of the year. Talks among the so-called G-4 got underway in…
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Brazil Loses Retreaded Tyres Dispute, But Happy With Panel's Mixed Ruling
Brazil has lost a WTO challenge against its import restrictions on retreaded tyres. The EU had contended that the import limitations were motivated by a desire to protect the local tyre industry rather than to pursue genuine public health objectives. The dispute settlement panel’s report, released on 12 June,…
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Members Clash Over How To Discipline Fisheries Subsidies
Members clashed over the shape of future WTO rules on fisheries subsidy spending during a 14 June meeting of the Negotiating Group on Rules. In particular, a new proposal from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan was criticised by countries that argued that far broader restrictions on subsidy payments would be necessary in order to counteract the rapid…
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Doha Environment Negotiations Move Slowly, Hinging On Progress Elsewhere
With their eyes on the ongoing push for a breakthrough in the Doha Round talks, WTO delegates met to discuss the trade and environment negotiations from 11-12 June. Progress has been slow in talks on expedited trade liberalisation for environmental goods and services, as well as the relationship between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the WTO.…
- In Brief
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In Brief
ANDEAN NATIONS REACH COMPROMISE ON TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH EU Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru have struck a compromise that promises to reinvigorate their trade talks with the EU. The four-member Andean Community’s negotiations with Brussels, which have proceeded sporadically since 2004, stalled last month as a result of divisions within the group. The announcement of the…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
SERVICES NEGOTIATORS INCH FORWARD WHILE WAITING FOR AG, NAMA BREAKTHROUGH WTO services negotiators are continuing their attempts to make progress in the shadow of the stalemate in the agricultural and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) talks. At a Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services held on 8 June, ‘demandeur’ countries, such as the EU and…
- 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: 21 - 27 June 25-26 June, London, UK. CLIMATE CHANGE: POLITICS VERSUS ECONOMICS. Climate change is global, both in cause and consequence, and the…
- Resources
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Resources
WORLD TARIFF PROFILES. By the World Trade Organisation, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and the International Trade Centre, June 2007. Numbers play a fundamental role in key areas of trade negotiations; perhaps more than in any previous multilateral round of talks, tariffs and formulas are at the core of the Doha negotiations. Up…