Archive - 2005

The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of countries in the WTO on Friday 21 October submitted a proposal on market access inagriculture, with its own set of thresholds in the tariff reduction formula for developed and developing countries, and with suggested tariff reduction rates for developing countries.

Perceived slights and misunderstandings are normal features of the United States' relationship with Canada. But Canadians and outside experts say Ottawa's view of Washington now is as strained and combative as anyone can remember.

Links to several G20 papers on elements of the agriculture negotiations plus a proposal by Australia on Sensitive Products

Trade officials have warned that global trade talks are close to breaking point, leaving the European Union with ten days to either resolve a bitter internal rift or convince partners in the WTO to tame their demands on farm import barriers.

There seemed to be a noticeable d

A meeting of world trade ministers to hammer out a new global pact is in jeopardy unless Europe offers big cuts to its farm tariffs, the United States warned on Monday, and the EU itself admitted talks were on a 'knife-edge.'

The WTO Secretariat, on 24 October 2005, reported that in the period 1 January-30 June 2005, the number of initiations of new anti-dumping investigations and the number of new measures applied continued their previously-reported declining trends.

Some statements by developing countries rejecting the complementary approaches

As developing country negotiators in Geneva are offered what appears to be an attractive US offer to cut its agricultural subsidies by 60 per cent in order to pave the way to a new WTO Agreement in Agriculture, they might look at what is happening in Canada to understand why it is most unwise to enter into yet another trade agreement involving the United States.

The new Norwegian coalition government (Social democrats, socialist left party and the centre/farmers party) which is backed by a majority in Parliament, has released its declaration for their coming four years in office. The declaration offers at least a rhetorical change around WTO issues.