Archive

February 22nd, 2006

WTO services talks resume, uncertainty on plurilaterals

21 February, 2006
The Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services, meeting this week for the first time since the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference, has been taking up some organizational matters including on how to proceed with respect to the plurilateral process.

WTO's plurilateral services negotiations are voluntary, stresses developing countries

21 February, 2006
At a meeting on services at the WTO last week, several developing countries have stressed their understanding that participation in the plurilateral mode of negotiations would be on a voluntary and non-compulsory basis.

'Striptease' summit called to save trade talks

21 February, 2006
Six of the leading players in the long-running global trade talks are to meet in London next month for what is being billed as a 'collective striptease' to unblock deadlocked negotiations through a series of mutual concessions.

Norway takes salmon row to WTO in surprise move

21 February, 2006
The Norwegian ministry of foreign affairs announced on Tuesday (21 February) it will bring EU rules to curb salmon trade to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

WIPO: Most delegations and NGOs support 'public domain' proposal

21 February, 2006
The importance of the 'public domain' in knowledge and the need to protect it from the incursion of private rights was a strong theme on the second day of the WIPO meeting on the Development Agenda initiative taking place here this week.

February 21st

Agriculture Chairperson issues list of WTO negotiating issues

20 February, 2006
A long list of questions has been distributed by the Chairperson of the agriculture negotiations for members to use during the 'agriculture week' of negotiations being held at the WTO this week.

Questions For a NAMA Text

20 February, 2006
The friends of ambition in Doha market access negotiation for industrial products led by the United States and the European Union on Monday submitted a set of questions to negotiations chair Don Stephenson suggesting how to finalize modalities by the end of April, WTD has learned (WTD, 2/20/06).

WIPO: G77 calls for structured talks at Development Agenda meeting

20 February, 2006
The start of substantive discussion on the Development Agenda was delayed at a WIPO meeting on Monday due to wrangling over who would be the Chair.

February 20th

UNCTAD panel debates state of WTO services negotiations

19 February, 2006
Developing countries taking part in an UNCTAD meeting have reiterated that they are entitled to exercise flexibility when deciding on liberalisation commitments in the WTO's services agreement (GATS).

Big losses projected for developing countries from WTO's NAMA proposals

19 February, 2006
Developing countries are projected to suffer significant 'adjustment costs' as a result of reduction commitments in industrial tariffs under the Doha agenda. The costs, which will vary among different countries, include loss of output and jobs in some industrial sectors and loss of government revenue.