Ambassadors to the World Trade Organization are meeting for an intensive two-day General Council meeting where few actual decisions are expected, except the most expedient: adoption of next year’s budget, and, if all goes well, a decision on Thursday (17 December) to ban export restrictions on food items purchased by …
WTO crisis and reform
WTO Corner: COVID-19 vaccine IP campaigning, India and Africa on WTO reform, World Food Programme purchases
Post-COVID 19 TRIPS campaigning intensifies NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières (the French ‘Doctors without Borders’ humanitarian organisation) are joining the campaign of developing countries led by India and South Africa at the WTO who are asking for sweeping flexibilities and/or a waiver on intellectual property rules. The aim is …
WTO Corner: Ottawa Group eyes Joint Statement on trade and healthcare
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 …
Blueprint for a green trade agenda
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.
WTO members launch two trade and environment initiatives
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”.
Ingredients for a climate-friendly trade policy
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 …
WTO – EU to FAST: let’s go slow
The European Commission circulated a paper to European Union member states on how it wants to approach ‘trade and sustainability’ in the World Trade Organization ahead of a member state meeting on the topic held on Monday. The key message: let’s go slow on trade and environment in the world …
WTO: The definitive end of optimism on the Appellate Body
The United States’s envoy to the World Trade Organization Dennis Shea poured cold water on any hopes – if there were any left – that this administration would enter into negotiations on reforming and restoring the institution’s Appellate Body.
WTO Corner: G20 trade meet, EU organic farming, Macao joins MPIA
It’s another busy week in World Trade Organization affairs. Today, a second round of ‘confessionals’ begins. It will lead to the de-selection of three further candidates to the post of director-general. Last week three candidates were de-selected from an original list of eight. Below, a selection of other notable WTO-related …
WTO Corner: Brussels appeals into void in Russia case, EU steel safeguard goes to court
MPIA state of play EU appeals ‘into void’ in Russia anti-dumping dispute To many, the move will seem highly ironic. The EU is not pleased with a July WTO panel ruling regarding anti-dumping duties on ammonium nitrate and steel pipes in a case filed by Russia – so it is …