News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
The Ottawa Group, an informal network of countries interested in discussing reforms at the World Trade Organization established in early 2019 is seeking improvements in the way trade in healthcare products is handled beyond the current COVID-19 pandemic. The signatories are eyeing a possible Joint Statement in early 2021, which …
This week at the WTO in Geneva might be celebrated as one of comparatively good news in a world of low expectations. We already covered the fact that two environment initiatives were launched. Celebrating 25 years of WTO The date almost went under as despite its young years, the world’s …
A series of papers published by the think tank Europe Jacques Delors puts forward proposals that aim to strengthen environmental protection within an open international trading system. Borderlex’s Iana Dreyer exchanged views with one of the papers’ co-authors Geneviève Pons.
A subset of 23 World Trade Organization members formally launched an initiative on ‘trade and environment’ that could lead to concrete proposals to the institution at its next ministerial conference. Another initiative announced during this week’s WTO ‘Trade and Environment Week’ is a Chinese-led plastic waste “informal dialogue”.
UC Berkeley economist Joseph Shapiro is of the view that trade policy is “sending the wrong price signal” by bolstering trade in dirty goods in comparison to cleaner products, especially in Europe. Speaking to Borderlex’s Sarah Anne Aarup, Shapiro said that rather than raising trade barriers on dirty goods, focusing …
Hong Kong contests US ‘China’ label for its goods exports Hong Kong has filed a dispute against a new United States rule that obliges goods exports from Hong Kong to be labelled as coming from ‘China’. Hong Kong, a WTO member, is a separate customs territory and nominally a different …
The three World Trade Organization ambassadors who act as facilitators in the selection process for the next leader of the international trade institution announced today that in their view Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria had garnered the widest support. At an informal Heads of Delegation meeting today, the assessment made by …
Article written with input from Sarah Anne Aarup. EU member states appear to be on track to back Nigeria’s candidate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization. Following a video-conferenced meeting of permanent representatives – COREPER – on Monday morning (26 October), 25 out of …
A selection of new developments at the WTO. EU delays decision on WTO director-general EU member states were supposed to decide today which of the two finalists for the WTO’s top job they would back. But the relevant TPC meeting in Brussels was postponed for another day, to let member …
There is nothing ‘new’ to report from three days of meetings of WTO ambassadors this week under the format of an ‘Informal TNC’ and a ‘General Council’. As usual, the large powers have spent time bickering over ‘market oriented conditions’, ‘special and differential treatment’ for developing countries, dispute settlement, agriculture, …
