Dear International Trade and Investment Committee Members,
Here are the international trade and investment articles and publications of interest for the week of July 7 to July 13. Anca Sattler has curated this week’s edition. Anca is an associate at Gowlings in Ottawa, practising primarily in the areas of international trade law, copyright law, and commercial litigation.
News
- On 7 July 2014, the Committee on Trade and Development held its first meeting on the monitoring of special and differential treatment for developing countries since the Bali Ministerial Conference.
- On 7 July 2014, the WTO Appellate Body issued its report in the case “United States – Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Products from China (DS449)”.
- Fourteen WTO members launched plurilateral negotiations for an Environmental Goods Agreement on 8 July 2014 at the WTO. These members said the talks will promote green growth and sustainable development while providing impetus for the conclusion of the Doha Round.
- Canadian, Australian, American and Japanese business representatives met today in Ottawa to voice their support for the conclusion of an ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that would form the basis of expanded trade links in the Asia Pacific.
- At the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) meeting on 10 July, the European Union requested the establishment of a panel on what it said were restrictions by the Russian Federation on imports of live pigs, pork and other pig products from the EU. Russia opposed the panel request, and the DSB deferred the establishment of a panel to examine this dispute.
- A group of 14 WTO members – including the US, EU, and China – formally launched negotiations on Tuesday for a new agreement aimed at liberalising trade in environmental goods.
- The divide among WTO members over the implementation of the new Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has continued to persist in recent weeks, despite an end-July deadline to agree on a protocol of amendment that would bring the deal into the organisation’s overall legal framework.
- The WTO Appellate Body released its final ruling on the US’ Tariff Act Amendment – known otherwise as the “GPX Legislation” – this week, finding that there was not enough factual analysis in a previous panel decision to determine whether the law violates Washington’s international trade obligations.
- WTO members concluded their biennial review of China’s trade policies last Thursday, with many highlighting the valuable impact the Asian economy’s rapid ascent has had on the global economy as a whole. Along with praising Beijing’s various efforts in recent years to address past trade qualms – and the prospects for future reforms – many also reiterated past concerns, particularly regarding transparency.
- The Eurasian Economic Commission is considering the possibility of taking “protective trade measures” against Moldova following the signing of an Association Agreement between ChiÈ™inău and Brussels in June, Russian officials have said over the past week. The group is expected to discuss these potential measures at a Council meeting on 16 July.
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott signed a bilateral free trade deal on Tuesday in Canberra, three months after negotiators finalised the terms of the pact.
- Deputy Director-General Yonov Frederick Agah, in presenting the Director-General’s report on trade-related developments (mid-November 2013 to mid-May 2014) to the Trade Policy Review Body on 11 July 2014, said that “the pace at which new trade restrictions have been introduced has not accelerated during the period under review”. He urged members to provide more trade information for the monitoring reports: “I am convinced, and the Director-General’s recent meetings with business groups have confirmed this, that members must accept their collective responsibility for promoting the transparency and predictability which importers and exporters demand”.
Government Announcements/Press Releases
- The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), today announced the launch of negotiations toward a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement (FIPA) between Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Minister Fast and Sheikh Abdullah met with industry representatives in Vancouver to discuss opportunities in Asia-Pacific Gateway infrastructure and transportation.
- The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, today announced that Canada along with 13 other World Trade Organization members, including China, the European Union, Japan and the United States, are launching negotiations toward a new WTO plurilateral agreement on environmental goods. The first round of negotiations will take place on July 9 and 10, 2014, in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), today issued the following joint statement from Canada: “We have been honoured to have had the opportunity to travel together across Canada to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and the United Arab Emirates...”
- The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, announced that he is leading a trade and development mission to Ukraine to build on strong people-to-people ties, further strengthen economic cooperation and create opportunities for Canada-Ukraine partnerships.
- The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, today concluded a three-day trade and development mission to Ukraine that built on the strong Canada-Ukraine people-to-people ties, explored further deeper economic cooperation and created opportunities for Canada-Ukrainian partnerships.
- The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, today participated in a Canada-Ukraine round table on education cooperation with Ukrainian university officials and Serhiy Kvit, Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science. Minister Fast is leading a Canadian delegation on a three-day trade and development mission to Ukraine to demonstrate Canada’s continued support for the country, a partner in peace and prosperity.
Commentaries
- In her piece on the latest Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP) trade talks, being held in Ottawa this week, Kate Heartfield suggests the government would be wise to make major concessions on dairy and poultry imports since it “must know that supply management will die one day.”
- The Canadian government hopes India’s new administration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi will finally sign and implement a bilateral foreign investor protection treaty that was negotiated years ago but has languished since.
- New Zealand and Canada are to cut their import tariffs on a number of environmental goods as part of a multilateral trade pact being negotiated at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- It’s a safe bet that few Quebecers have sipped Riesling from the award-winning boutique winery Thirty Bench in Ontario’s Niagara region, unless they’ve made the trek there in person.