WTO: SPS Committee marks 25 years of SPS Agreement, sees high number of trade concerns

SPS Committee marks 25 years of SPS Agreement, sees high number of trade concerns At the meeting of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures on 2-6 and 13 November, WTO members commemorated the 25th anniversary of the SPS Agreement and reflected on future challenges to facilitate trade in safe food. The meeting saw a high level of engagement, with over 200... Lees verder WTO concludes first online regional trade policy course for Caribbean states The first online trade policy course for WTO members and observers from the Caribbean concluded on 13 November. Organized by the WTO's Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC), it was attended by 20 participants from ten Caribbean states over a three-month period. Lees verder Brexit, EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism take centre stage at Market Access Committee At a meeting of the Committee on Market Access on 12 and 16 November 2020, WTO members discussed a large number of trade concerns. Special emphasis was placed on Brexit, with less than 50 days until the end of the EU-UK transition period, as well as on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that... Lees verder New initiatives launched to intensify WTO work on trade and the environment Two proponent groups launched new initiatives to intensify discussions at the WTO on trade and the environment on 17 November, the second day of the WTO's Trade and Environment Week. The initiatives establish structured discussions on trade and environmental sustainability and an informal dialogue... Lees verder WTO marks its 25th anniversary To commemorate its 25th anniversary, the WTO will host on 19 November a series of speeches and panel discussions that offer the chance to reflect on and take stock of the organization's achievements as well as the challenges it faces. Lees verder Co-conveners of e-commerce negotiations: We are seeing convergence being built but need to move faster WTO members participating in the negotiation of rules on e-commerce continued their work to streamline the negotiating text at a plenary meeting on 17 November. The co-conveners — Australia, Japan and Singapore — stressed that participating members keep working in small groups to narrow gaps and... Lees verder WTO Informal Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade Remarks by DDG Alan Wolff Lees verder Indonesia launches safeguard investigation on expansible polystyrene On 18 November 2020, Indonesia notified the WTO's Committee on Safeguards that it initiated on 18 November 2020 a safeguard investigation on expansible polystyrene. Lees verder WTO report shows slowdown in G20 trade restrictions as COVID-19 impacts world economy The WTO's latest Trade Monitoring Report on G20 trade measures shows a slowdown in the number and coverage of trade-restrictive and trade-facilitating measures on goods implemented by G20 countries between mid-May and mid-October 2020, primarily as a result of the sharp decline in overall global... Lees verder DDG Agah: Trading system has proven resilient during COVID-19 pandemic The international trading system has proven surprisingly resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, with global supply chains adapting after initial disruptions and goods continuing to flow across borders, Deputy Director-General Yonov Frederick Agah said on 18 November. In a speech to the Asian... Lees verder