Archive - 2005

The United States and the European Union on Friday asked Brazil and India to agree to a 'Swiss' formula with two coefficients one for the industrialized countries and one for the developing countries to cut industrial tariffs

The differences among members on these issues were as wide as before the WTO's summer break, with the countries reiterating their known positions

The week of agriculture negotiations at the World Trade Organisation ended a day earlier than scheduled, due to lack of any new 'movement' by the major members.

Highlights on the best of the best and also has a transcript based on Public Citizen's notes of the entire hearing

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The chairman of the Doha Development Agenda market access negotiations for industrials yesterday made some headway in jump-starting negotiations on a tariff-cutting formula - but sharp differences exist on details between the 'Friends of Ambition' led by the United States and the so-called 'ABI'

U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman on Sept. 21 rejected calls being made by the European Union to agree in the ongoing Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks to convert U.S. food aid into cash payments, saying that he would fight to maintain the current system.

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The United States will demand other countries make steep cuts in their farm subsidies and tariffs before considering any change to its own programs, the chief U.S. negotiator said on Wednesday as lawmakers mulled how world trade talks could reshape the U.S. farm safety net.

Among the highlights: Portman agreeing that food aid should be in commodities not cash; Repeated declaration from Administration officials and members of Congress that US needs to 'box shift' domestic support and jack up payment levels in farm bill so as to make for higer baselines; Senate Ag committee chair saying that for Hong Kong 'No Agreementi better than a bad agreement' which in his view means major tariff cuts to allow for more US market access.