One things needs to be said : it is busy in around the World Trade Organization again. Discussions are generally now over substance and the destructive dynamics at play in the Trump era are much less visible – although it is not the US alone in wielding the zero-sum veto game. …
E-commerce & services
WTO Corner: US joins ‘services domestic regulation’ talks
The United States have announced they would join the ongoing Services Domestic Regulations plurilateral negotiations at the World Trade Organization.
WTO e-commerce: Nigeria brings developing country exceptions for data flows into picture
Nigeria has tabled language in ongoing WTO e-commerce agreement talks that seeks to exempt poor countries from free data flow obligations.
WTO Corner: US ‘forced labour in fish deal’ surprise, e-commerce, Ottawa group on health
An overview of notable recent developments at the World Trade Organization focusing on fish subsidy talks, e-commerce negotiations and trade and health.
WTO: E-commerce negotiators take talks to next stage
Plurilateral e-commerce negotiations at the World Trade Organization are progressing, bit by bit. After a plenary session of the close to 90 participating countries on Tuesday (20 April), the conveners Japan, Australia and Singapore were able to announce that two small paragraphs of legal language were closed.
WTO Corner: competitive neutrality, gender, e-commerce, ITA2, EU disputes
There is clearly more activity at the World Trade Organization than last year – probably even than the year before last. With a new director-general now in office, a date for the next ministerial meeting all set and hope for a more cooperative US administration, this is the time when …
WTO Corner: Plurilaterals legality, investment facilitation
Plurilateral or ‘Joint Statement’ initiatives launched in 2017 to modernise rules in the trading system start maturing. Now members face a battle over having them established in the World Trade Organization treaty framework. India and South Africa claim Joint Statement initiative deals are illegal In December 2017, a large group …
WTO Services Domestic Regulation initiative : spotlight on the bureaucracy
Negotiations among a subset of members of the World Trade Organization in the area of ‘services domestic regulation’ are one of the few initiatives launched in Buenos Aires in December 2017 that could come to fruition this year.
WTO Corner: On the breakthrough on spam and other progress reports
A warning, this column lets off some steam…
WTO Corner: E-commerce text, investment facilitation, no TRIPS waiver
Some developments at the WTO this week…. Negotiators adopt second version of e-commerce agreement draft text Many observers note that negotiations on a text that would set rules for digital trade in the 21st Century have had difficulties making meaningful headway this autumn. Eighty-six WTO members have been looking in …
