World Trade Organization Notices for Oct 25-27
The World Trade Organization (WTO) posted the following notices from October 25-27, 2011 (may have to click twice on source documents for proper viewing):
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- Russia accession closer. The Russian Accession Working Party has decided to hold a final, formal session in November to complete their work and forward to Ministers their recommendations for a decision on Russia's WTO accession at the December Ministerial Conference. (here)
- Vanuatu accession approved. On October 26, the General Council today paved the way for Vanuatu’s membership in the WTO by approving its accession package. Vanuatu has to ratify the deal by December 31, 2011. It would become WTO’s 154th member 30 days after the ratification. (here)
- ACTA, tobacco packaging, access to medicine. During their Oct 24-25 meeting, the TRIPS Council on intellectual property rights assessed the system for helping poorer countries import cheaper medicines, debated whether an Australian bill on plain packaging for cigarettes will hurt poor farmers, and scrutinized the ACTA, a new agreement signed by the U.S. and others on stronger intellectual property enforcement. (here)
- Annual reports by committees. The following committees have circulated 2011 annual reports: Committee on Antidumping Practices (here); Committee on Market Access (here); Committee on Import Licensing (here)
- African regional integration. The WTO has posted a working paper that examines the history of regional integration in Africa, what has motivated it, the different initiatives that African governments have pursued, the nature of the integration process, and the current challenges. (here)