Considerations for the Submission of Initial Offers in Light of the Current State of Play of Negotiations.
This note discusses the differing negotiating scenarios for individual Members and aims to present a clearer picture of the near term prospects for market access negotiations. From this, general considerations and options are provided for Members facing pressure to submit initial offers. (more…)
Analysis of Actual Liberalisation versus GATS Commitments of Quad Members: Mode 4 and Health Services.
This note is the first of a series assessing the actual or current level of trade liberalisation in select modes and sectors of the Quad members (Canada, European Communities, Japan and the United States) compared with their General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitments in the respective areas. (more…)
The UNCTAD XI: Comments on the 13 May 2004 Draft Negotiated Text.
This paper is intended as a follow-up to the South Centre’s informal paper entitled “The UNCTAD XI: Defining UNCTAD’s Future Mandate” in which readers were provided with a brief overview of the current state of play (as of late March 2004) of the pre-conference negotiations, and then a paragraph by paragraph description of the differences in negotiating positions among various countries. (more…)
A Development Agenda for Intellectual Property Negotiations in 2004 and Beyond.
In 2003, activities in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) were fairly subdued, save for the negotiations relating to the implementation of paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. (more…)
Comments on the WTO Secretariat’s Paper – Tariff Reductions for Agricultural Products: Some Simulations of the Operation of the Blended Formula (JOB(04)/1).
One of the most contentious issues in agriculture negotiations is the blended approach for market access presented in the proposed framework on agriculture in the Draft Ministerial Declaration produced by the Chairman of the Cancun Conference on 13 September 2003. (more…)
Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns: The Way Forward After Cancun.
This paper looks primarily at the history of implementation issues in the WTO since the 2001 Doha Ministerial Conference, and at some of the major initiatives that developing countries have suggested in order to push the negotiations on implementation issues forward. (more…)
Background Note: Article VI (Domestic Regulations) with Emphasis on Paragraph 4 and the EU and Japanese Proposals.
Many subsectors within the service sector, such as infrastructure services, are regulated with the aim to ensure a certain level of quality, to protect consumers, or the environment. (more…)
Linking Mode 4 and Domestic Regulation.
This note discusses some possible ways in which Mode 4 could be addressed within Article VI:4 on domestic regulation. More specifically it tries to show how qualification requirements and procedures, technical standards and licensing requirements may impact the movement of natural persons under Mode 4. (more…)
Institutional Governance and Decision-Making Processes in the WTO.
The WTO’s institutional mandate is clearly spelled out in its founding charter, the 1994 Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement). (more…)
The Legality of Creating Plurilateral Agreements Within the WTO for Singapore Issues.
This note seeks to assess whether it is actually legal, under the WTO Agreement, for WTO Members to undertake and conclude negotiations for plurilateral agreements in the WTO vis-a-vis the Singapore issues. (more…)
The Post-Cancun Legal Status of Singapore Issues in the WTO.
This note is intended to provide readers with an analysis of the current legal status of the Singapore issues mandate established during the 1996 Singapore Ministerial Conference and extended up to the 2003 Cancun Ministerial Conference by the 2001 Doha Ministerial Conference. (more…)
Note on the expiry of the Peace Clause: some elements for consideration by developing countries.
According to Art. 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture the reform process should continue through new negotiations which started in the year 2000. Although progress has been achieved in understanding the positions and concerns of members, no concrete result can be presented so far. (more…)
