Bridges

Trade news from a sustainable development perspective
APEC

APEC Leaders Debate Approach to Trade Tensions, WTO Issues at Port Moresby Summit

22 November 2018
Leaders from 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies wrapped up their annual summit this past weekend in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, tackling a host of subjects relating to regional connectivity and economic integration. However, disagreements on trade between the US and China...
Agriculture

WTO Members Weigh Options for Addressing Farm Export Restrictions, Food Aid

22 November 2018
WTO members are debating how to resolve long-standing disagreements over agricultural export restrictions and their impact on humanitarian food aid, sources told Bridges, with the issue taking centre stage during an informal meeting convened on 15 November by the chair of the organisation’s...
Brexit

EU Leaders Prepare for Brexit Summit, UK Officials Debate Deal Text

22 November 2018
European leaders are preparing for a landmark summit on Sunday 25 November, where they are expected to sign off on a draft Brexit deal reached by EU and UK negotiators last week. Meanwhile, debate continues among UK political officials over the accord’s final terms and whether it will gain the...
Global Economy

EU, South Africa Discuss Options for Closer Economic Ties at Presidential Summit

22 November 2018
South African leaders met with their European counterparts in Brussels for a presidential summit on 15 November to discuss future opportunities for cooperation, including on economic issues. Discussions between the two sides included a wide array of topics such as trade and market access, Brexit,...
Standards

UN Commission Calls for Gender Responsive Standards

22 November 2018
Standards bodies have an important role to play in achieving gender equality, according to a recommendation adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) on 15 November. The recommendation, which builds on two years of consideration on how standards bodies could contribute to...
Biodiversity

UN Biodiversity Conference Begins, Looking to Set the Stage for Crafting a Post-2020 Strategy

22 November 2018
The UN’s Biodiversity Conference is underway in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, with participants spending the coming week discussing how to finish implementing an existing set of biodiversity targets for 2011-2020 and begin setting the stage for developing a comprehensive post-2020 strategy, in a bid to...

Events

22 November 2018
Coming Soon 26 November, London, United Kingdom. A SUSTAINABLE FOOD FUTURE 2018: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? This Chatham House event, which is held every year, will focus on policy options for making food systems more resilient and sustainability, focusing on specific aspects such as trade policy,...

Resources

22 November 2018
THE EU’s COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY POST 2020: DIRECTIONS OF CHANGE AND POTENTIAL TRADE AND MARKET EFFECTS. By Alan Matthews for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) (November 2018). This new paper examines the potential implications of the EU’s approach to...
Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)

Asia-Pacific Summits Update: RCEP Talks in "Final Stage," Extending into 2019

15 November 2018
A series of high-level summits in the Asia-Pacific region are getting underway this week, kicking off with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and concluding with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meetings. These events, among others, are being watched closely for...
WTO Negotiations

WTO Members Prepare to Shift Gears in Fisheries Negotiations

15 November 2018
WTO members negotiating a proposed agreement to tackle harmful fisheries subsidies held a second cluster of meetings last week as part of their September-December work programme, hearing reports about brainstorming sessions in “incubator groups” the week before and completing the streamlining of a...
Global Economy

EU, US Officials Reconvene in Washington to Advance Bilateral Trade Agenda

15 November 2018
Trade ministers from the European Union and the United States met on Wednesday 14 November, looking to take stock of working group discussions on trade and chart a shared path ahead. The high-level discussions are among a series of events this week expected to address international cooperation and...
Brexit

Brexit Draft Deal Floated, UK Continues Preparations for Trade Future with Other Partners

15 November 2018
Negotiators from the EU and UK have endorsed a draft text of a Brexit agreement, capping months of uncertainty over how the two sides will address some of the thorniest issues of the UK’s withdrawal from the bloc. Concurrently, UK officials have continued meeting with non-EU partners to lay the...
Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)

EU Trade Talks with New Zealand, Indonesia Advancing Steadily, Officials Say

15 November 2018
The European Commission recently circulated updates on the progress seen in two different negotiating processes, specifically with Indonesia and New Zealand, earlier this month, referring to valuable advances seen in both cases. While trade talks with Indonesia have been underway for over two years...

Events

15 November 2018
Coming Soon 16 November, Washington, US. WHAT MIGHT BREXIT LOOK LIKE? This event, organised by the Washington International Trade Association (WITA), will involve a discussion both of what Brexit might look like in practice, along with sits implications for the UK-US relationship, as well as for...

Resources

15 November 2018
INVESTMENT DISPUTE SETTLEMENT NAVIGATOR. Published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (November 2018). This updated version of UNCTAD’s Investment Dispute Settlement Navigator examines new investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) arbitration cases filed this year, along with...
United States (US)

US Midterm Elections: Incoming Congress to Face Slate of Trade Policy Considerations

8 November 2018
The US held its midterm elections on Tuesday 6 November, with Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives and Republicans retaining their majority in the Senate, setting up a divided legislature that could have significant implications for Washington trade policy for the coming two...
Global Economy

China’s International Import Expo Launches, With Cooperation and Open Markets in Focus

8 November 2018
China kicked off its inaugural International Import Expo (CIIE) this week in Shanghai, bringing together a host of participants from around the world from 5-10 November to discuss the current and future landscape of trade and investment. The six-day event, the first of its kind to focus solely on...

WTO Member Group Circulates Transparency Proposal, Eyeing Improved Notification Compliance

8 November 2018
A group of WTO members has circulated a communication proposing that the General Council adopt a set of “procedures to enhance transparency and strengthen notification requirements under WTO agreements.” The proposal lays out a series of “administrative measures” that could apply to members that...
Global Economy

Bloomberg Forum Highlights Business-Government Cooperation to Meet Global Challenges

8 November 2018
The inaugural Bloomberg New Economy Forum wrapped up in Singapore this week, bringing together world business and political leaders to broach imminent challenges around global governance, international trade, technology, climate change, and inclusion against an evolving global economic backdrop...
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)

EU Regulation on Cadmium in Chocolate Fuels WTO Debate on Health, Development

8 November 2018
The EU’s incoming rules on cadmium in chocolate and other foodstuffs again drew scrutiny from some developing country WTO members at a meeting of the organisation’s Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures on 1-2 November, trade sources say. The regulation takes effect in less than...