The 12th World Trade Organization ministerial conference has been cancelled at the request of the Kazakhstan hosts, due to the Corona virus. So what comes next?
WTO Fish
First draft text expected soon for WTO fisheries subsidies agreement
Negotiations over global curbs on harmful subsidies to the fishing industry have reached a critical phase, with the first draft of a possible final agreement due to be tabled in the next couple of weeks. Despite continuing divisions between the main countries involved as to what form any agreement should …
WTO General Council mid-way roundup
World Trade Organization members took a series of small decisions at a still-ongoing General Council meeting in Geneva this week. Ambassadors also heard new proposals for change in the WTO by or under the leadership of the United States. Wide gaps among WTO countries remain on fundamental issues ahead of …
WTO fish subsidies talks go to the wire as new chair appointed
Two very different concepts on how to discipline subsidies to the fisheries sector are battling it out for supremacy as the WTO negotiations on the topic enter what should -in theory – be their final phases. But despite one small victory – namely agreement on who should chair the final …
WTO fisheries subsidies: Hopes of a deal persist as public pressure grows
WTO member governments have “never been closer” to an agreement to curb harmful subsidies to the fishing industry than they are at present – but there is absolutely no guarantee of a multilateral deal being done by the end-year deadline. This, in essence, was the message presented by speakers at …
China and India bring new momentum to WTO fishing subsidy talks
The WTO’s efforts to reach a multilateral agreement on controlling subsidies to the fisheries sector could be given a significant boost in July, as negotiators target the submission of a first set of unified draft texts.
Fisheries talks in WTO are ‘getting real’
Trade ambassadors are to convene in Geneva on Friday to give fresh impetus – or so it is hoped – to the WTO’s long-running negotiations on controls of fisheries subsidies.
Fresh proposals tabled as WTO talks on fisheries subsidies continue
The quest for a multilateral agreement to discipline government subsidies in the fisheries sector is continuing following a series of meetings between delegations in Geneva last week. New proposals for a system to limit state payments for fisheries development were put forward by a number of governments, as the snappily-titled …
Commission hopes for swift mandate for US trade talks – debate on fish, speed and WTO continues
Member state trade ministers gathered in the Romanian capital Bucharest today to take stock of current European Union trade files. The most pressing issue on the table was the EU-US trade relationship. But capitals also discussed the way forward for the World Trade Organization and other bilateral trade files. Despite …
Beyond Brussels: Countries vow to intensify WTO talks on fisheries aid
Any mention of the World Trade Organization these days usually includes the words “reform” or “Appellate Body”. While efforts to limit harmful fisheries subsidies aren’t making many big headlines right now, the good news is that they actually seem to be making some progress. That’s not to say a deal …
