The first Regional Trade Policy Course of 2017 started on 3 April in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for Central Eastern European, Central Asian and Caucasus (CEECAC) members and observers of the WTO. The course is being organized in partnership with the University of International Business in Almaty and (...)
After several months of intense discussion, a group of business representatives from around the world issued two sets of recommendations on business priorities for the WTO. Their recommendations cover areas such as services, investment, market access, e-commerce and small and medium-sized (...)
The sixth review of the trade policies and practices of Mexico takes place on 5 and 7 April 2017. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of Mexico.
The WTO has issued a call for proposals for this year’s Public Forum, whose theme is “Trade: Behind the Headlines”. Participants interested in organizing sessions at the Forum on 26-28 September are invited to submit their proposals by 4 June (...)
WTO members discussed the relationship between trade facilitation provisions in regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) at the 3-4 April meeting of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements.
At its special meeting on 3 April, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) agreed to the establishment of two new dispute panels: one to review a complaint filed by China against the European Union’s measures related to price comparison methodologies in anti-dumping investigations; and the second to (...)
An Advanced Course on Intellectual Property for Government Officials, jointly organized by the WTO and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), was held at the WTO from 20 to 31 March 2017. The aim of the course was to enhance the capacity of governments in developing countries to (...)
At a meeting of the Portuguese Council of State in Lisbon on 31 March 2017, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo praised the country for its openness and internationalism and discussed how trade and the WTO could help drive Portugal’s economic growth. The Director-General participated in the meeting (...)
A total of 57 regulations were raised by WTO members, many dealing with consumer products such as food, alcoholic beverages, toys and cars, when they met as the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee on 29-30 March 2017.