Archive - Article

Some major developed and developing countries have been giving significantly different assessments of the state of the services negotiations during the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services held at the World Trade Organisation on 27 June to 1 July.

The Chairperson of the WTO's agriculture negotiations, the former New ZealandAmbassador, Tim Groser, has issued a status report on his assessment of key issues to be addressed in the agriculture negotiations by 31 July 2005, which is apparently the date by which the General Council session to discuss 'first approximations' has to conclude. (M. Khor)

Attempts are being made to prepare

An assessment of the current agriculture negotiations by Tim Groser

This is an update of Edward Sussex's paper on Local and Regional Reaction to GATS and Similar Trade Rules.

The United States yesterday presented some ideas for a new work plan to speed the pace of the Doha Development Agenda services negotiations

the EU has recently tabled a non-paper on benchmarking in GATS. The response from 'Brazil' is NOT a formal Brazilian response but is apparently a view shared by many other delegations.

An ambitious American plan for a hemisphere-wide trade pact is mired in disputes that have led to widespread skepticism about its chances of ever materializing.

It is still not clear what exactly the proponents of 'benchmarking' are proposing. However, many developing countries have been sceptical about the concept, believingthat it is being used as an instrument to oblige them to open up more of their servicessectors and in more ways than they would otherwise like.(M.Khor)

A 'brain-storming' session on Friday among nine key members of the World Trade Organization to set quantitative benchmarks in the sluggish Doha Development Agenda services negotiations has failed to bring about convergence