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WTO Goods, Development Groups Meet On Textiles Adjustment
Debate on the post-quota trading environment in the textiles and clothing sector continued recently at a WTO Council for Trade in Goods meeting on 25 November and a Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) meeting on 26 November. Members continued to clash about whether — and in what forum — to address the concerns of…
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US Claims Victory In WTO Case On Geographically Linked Product Names
A WTO panel hearing a challenge by the US and Australia against a 1992 EU regulation governing geographically linked names of certain agricultural products issued a confidential preliminary ruling to the disputants on 16 November. Although the ruling is not yet publicly available, US officials have indicated that the panel found in their favour. The…
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China And ASEAN Sign FTA Amidst Flurry Of Regional, Bilateral Deals
China’s aggressive drive to expand its commercial ties is spurring regional and bilateral trade negotiations in Asia and Latin America. Although some projections indicate that a pan-Asian free trade agreement could lead to significant economic welfare gains there — mainly at the expense of the US — other studies warn that a world of bilateral…
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EU Sugar Reform: Delays Expected; WWF, Oxfam Highlight Concerns
On 22 November, the EU Agriculture Council met to address, among other topics, the reform of the EU sugar scheme. Incoming EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel commented that the reform plan issued by the European Commission in July (see BRIDGES Weekly, 21 July 2004) formed a good basis…
- In Brief
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Conservationists To Make Trade Work For Biodiversity
AFRICAN COUNTRIES LOOK FOR WAY FORWARD IN DOHA ROUND African trade officials and negotiators convened in Tunis, Tunisia from 25-26 November for a "high-level brainstorming meeting" organised by the UN Economic Commission for Africa. The meeting’s objective was to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the July Package and to help African countries chart a course forward…
- WTO in Brief
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GI Register For Wines And Spirits Inches Forward
PÉREZ DEL CASTILLO OFFICIALLY ENTERS DG RACE On 1 December, Uruguay officially nominated Ambassador Carlos Pérez del Castillo to the post of Director-General of the WTO. In his nomination letter, Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmés of Uruguay noted that Pérez del Castillo would be a suitable candidate given his background as a citizen of a small developing…
- 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: 2-8 December 6 December, Copenhagen, Denmark: SEMINAR ON WTO, TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. This seminar is organised by the ‘WTO, Trade & Development’ network, an initiative…
- Resources
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Resources
ECONOMIC AND POLICY ASPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES. By Timothy Wise (Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University, 2004). This paper examines the economic and policy aspects of agricultural subsidies. It focuses on the most widely used measure of agricultural support, the OECD’s Producer Support Estimate. The paper identifies several important flaws in its application and…