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19 December 2007
A WTO dispute panel ruled on 10 December that the EU has failed to bring its banana import regime into compliance with former WTO rulings. The battle over bananas between the EU and suppliers to which it does not give preferential market access -- mainly in Latin America -- is one of the most...
5 December 2007
Until recently, trade officials from many governments were warning that the Doha Round trade talks would die or go into indefinite hibernation without a breakthrough agreement on cutting tariffs and subsidies by the end of the year. The troubled WTO negotiations now look set to remain alive, if not...
30 November 2007
Farmers provide the world with essential ecosystem services, such as carbon storage, flood control, clean water provision and biodiversity conservation. These services are undervalued by the market, and providing targeted economic incentives to farmers could safeguard the environment as well as...
28 November 2007
WTO MEMBERS SCRUTINISE US AG SUBSIDY NOTIFICATION; FAO WARNS OF HIGH FOOD PRICES Information provided by the US to the WTO on its agricultural subsidy spending between 2001 and 2005 came under close scrutiny at a 21 October meeting of the organisation's Committee on Agriculture. Members criticised...
21 November 2007
For weeks, diplomats at the WTO had expected the chairs of the struggling Doha Round trade talks on agriculture and industrial goods to soon come up with new draft agreement texts that were to be the basis for a last-ditch attempt at a deal. The drafts were initially due in mid-November, then...
16 November 2007
FARMERS' RIGHTS, FUNDING DISCUSSED AT SEED TREATY MEETING A recent meeting on the preservation and exchange of agricultural seeds saw divisive discussions on farmers' rights and funding issues that underpin the implementation of a relatively new treaty on the topic. The second meeting of the...
14 November 2007
PALM OIL PROVES STICKING POINT IN INDIA-ASEAN FTA TALKS Disagreements over palm oil and other sensitive products continue to prevent India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from finalising a free trade agreement (FTA). Negotiators had hoped to be able to conclude a deal in time...
7 November 2007
The chair of the troubled WTO agriculture talks will postpone issuing a new draft negotiating text initially expected in mid-November until towards the end of the month, trade sources report. The move was prompted by modest signs of movement in the discussions. Ambassador Crawford Falconer (New...
7 November 2007
The chair of the Doha Round farm trade negotiations on 7 November released a set of potential changes to WTO rules aimed at preventing countries from pursuing policies that effectively subsidise the export of agricultural products. The three 'working documents' updated the terms of the draft deal...
1 November 2007
The WTO agriculture talks have in recent weeks bathed in a rare mood of optimism as delegates continue efforts to narrow differences. The main reason for the change of atmosphere appears to be that Members have focused on finding solutions to a number of questions – other than the ‘headline’ issues...
31 October 2007
Talks on agriculture and industrial goods trade continue at the WTO, in what may be the last week of discussions before the chairs of the two negotiating committees issue new draft compromise texts that could become the basis for a Doha Round agreement - or a bitter collapse. Sources report that...
31 October 2007
SPS COMMITTEE: VOLUNTARY STANDARDS DIVIDE MEMBERS Following two years of exploratory discussions to assess what role - if any - the WTO could play in regulating the vast and growing array of standards set by the private sector, WTO Members will start looking at specific case studies. Discussions on...
24 October 2007
The chair of the troubled Doha Round agriculture talks has given Member governments until 2 November to iron out their differences. After that, he will put together a detailed new potential draft deal for make-or-break final negotiations, guessing where consensus might lie on issues for which...
24 October 2007
The mediator of the struggling Doha Round farm trade talks says that Members are at long last moving forward, albeit incrementally. However, the movement has been on 'technical' issues rather than the big 'political' questions, such as subsidy spending caps, which negotiators say can only be...
17 October 2007
With WTO Members still deadlocked on the depth of Doha Round farm subsidy and tariff cuts, negotiators in Geneva are focusing on a range of secondary and technical issues in order to make it possible for governments to conclude an agreement swiftly if and when they make the concessions necessary to...
10 October 2007
The US on 4 October announced that it has notified the WTO of its domestic support payments to farmers for the years 2002 to 2005, with a senior official insisting that Washington had remained within the spending limits imposed by its obligations to the global trade body. Following years of...