The group of 79 Asia-Pacific-Caribbean countries that gathered this week in Brussels have issued a common statement on the planned WTO Ministerial meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in December. The joint statement was made public with several days of delay, indicating last-minute discussions over substance. The group represents one third …
WTO & Plurilaterals
What’s in the transparency pillar of the Nairobi package?
The WTO is aiming for a minimalist package of measures ahead of the Nairobi ministerial in December. The package is expected to focus on three topics: an LDC package, export competition for agriculture, and policy transparency. While the final contours of each pillar are far from finalised, the main issues …
WTO: EU and ACP countries at odds over special treatment for developing economies ahead of Nairobi
Behind the EU Commission’s recent overtures to least-developed-countries – LDCs – in the current negotiations towards a package of measures ahead of the Nairobi WTO Ministerial in December lies a deeper motive: have big emerging markets sign up to import tariff reductions. Though tariffs are not formally part of the …
Malmström admits EU ambitions for Doha package ahead of Nairobi WTO ministerial have no chance
“The EU was a fierce proponent of a very comprehensive outcome in Nairobi on Doha Malmström said. It now turns out that that will not be possible. So that will be a more limited agreement.”, Ms Malmström explained at a 20 October stakeholder meeting. The agreement is expected to focus …
TFA: only 58 more ratifications to go
The WTO announced on 19 October that 50 WTO members have now ratified the TFA. EU companies have a particularly strong interest in the TFA. DG Azevedo hopes to achieve the required quorum of ratification by 2/3 of WTO members to ensure the agreement comes into force around the time …
WTO chief Azevedo in Brussels this week
WTO director General Roberto Azevedo is scheduled to visit Brussels and attend the meeting African Union Trade Ministers in Brussels on 20 and 21 October. Azevedo is pushing hard for the conclusion of a small package of measures ahead of the next WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in December. …
WTO Appellate body upholds EU and Japan win over China on antidumping
The WTO appellate body has upheld a May 2015 Dispute Settlement Body ruling in favour of the EU and Japan concerning Chinese anti-dumping duties on certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes.
Doha: EU and US take opposing views on exempting LDCs indefinitely from TRIPs obligations for health
Intensive consultations are ongoing in Geneva to try to craft an agreement on parts of the Doha Development Round agenda. Agricultural export subsidies, transparency, and measures in favour of least-developed countries are shaping up as the minimum package WTO members aim for ahead of the December Nairobi Ministerial. According to …
French centre-right MEPs call for taking into account EU agricultural sensitivies in Doha Round
The next INTA committee meeting on 15 October will discuss amendments to a planned motion for a resolution on the WTO Doha Development Agenda. French MEPs Tokia Saifi and Fank Proust, of the centre-right EPP group and members of the committee reveal how much agricultural protection remains a French concern. …
Draft INTA report on TiSA
MEP Viviane Reding has released a draft report on the ongoing plurilateral Trade in Services negotiations. The text says TiSA should be “a stepping-stone towards renewed ambitions at WTO level for a positive list in market access”, wants the EU “to carry out the negotiations on a preferential basis and …
