Archive - Dec 2005

December 6th

Appellate body issues report on softwood lumber dispute

5 December, 2005
The Appellate Body, on 5 December 2005, issued its Report regarding the compliance panel's rulings in the case 'United States

WTO General Council agrees to put services text in square brackets

5 December, 2005
The WTO's General Council agreed to show that there is no agreement on the controversial Annex on services in the draft Ministerial text to be sent to the WTO's Hong Kong Ministerial conference to beheld on 13-18 December.

WTO deals pose global threat: report

5 December, 2005
With only days left before the World Trade Organization holds its sixth ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, a new report claims that the agreements reached at these trade negotiations pose a threat to people and their environment around the world.

TRIPS transition period for LDCs extended 7.5 years with conditions

5 December, 2005
Least developed country members as a group were granted extension of transitional period for 7.5 years to apply the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. The extension is however subject to conditions that have been criticized by experts as severely constraining the benefits of the extension granted.

Stitched Up: Social fabric torn apart by end of quotas, Blind Faith that it won?t happen again

5 December, 2005
Two new reports jointly released today by the ICFTU and Solidar raise alarm bells over the planned further liberalisation of TCF and general manufacturing sectors by the WTO.

ARENA special bulletin on WTO

5 December, 2005
special bulletin on the WTO replaces the usual Summer newsletter of ARENA for this Summer 2005

INTERVIEW-Congress may reject WTO duty-free farm plan

5 December, 2005
The U.S. Congress would probably reject a proposed deal by global trade ministers to give duty-free access to the world's poorest nations if the plan does not also open new markets for American farmers

December 5th

Revised Hong Kong draft retains services text and Annex

4 December, 2005
while it attempts to capture the main elements of the state of playof agriculture and NAMA in general terms, the revised draft does not alter the first draft, issued on 26 November, in any fundamental manner.

Keeping Hong Kong On Line

4 December, 2005
Trade ministers of the United States, the European Union, Brazil, India, Japan and Australia meeting here on Saturday in an informal session hosted by the United States agreed broadly on what can be delivered in next week's Hong Kong trade conference for least-developed countries

Developing countries voice concerns on Hong Kong draft at TNC

4 December, 2005
A range of developing countries voiced their concerns over the draftHong Kong Ministerial text at a meeting of the Trade NegotiationsCommittee