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FTA FOREIGN TRADE ASSOCIATION |
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FTA Bulletin The voice of the
Foreign Trade Association |
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August
2002 Volume
2, Number 2 |
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Avenue
de Janvier 5 - 1200 Brussels Belgium Tel : +32.2.762.05.51 - Fax :
+32.2.762.75.06 e-mail : info@fta-eu.org |
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Jan Eggert
Secretary-General
On
June 5, FTA celebrated its 25th anniversary in Brussels. “For 25
years the FTA has supported free trade. Protectionism blocks international
trade and is uneconomic and inefficient” – with these words FTA president
Jaqueline Peltier (Auchan, France) began her welcome statement at the reception
to celebrate this event. Keynote speaker at
the reception was EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy. In his address “From Doha to
Cancun” Commissioner Lamy said: “Since it was founded, the FTA has been a
steady ally for the Commission and the EU in the quest for a strong and
rules-based multilateral trading system. The FTA, in its capacity as a
representative voice of importers into Europe, has provided us with its regular
comments and assessment of the EU's trade policy: sometimes simply in
appraisal, and sometimes on a more critical note. But whatever your position
was, it has always been frank and fair and based on real life experience - an
input we particularly value.” Then the Commissioner referred to the Doha development
agenda, the EU – US trade disputes, the challenges of enlargement for the
European trade policy.
The Commissioner also addressed the issue of lobbying
under the conditions of a “civil society dialogue”. Economic questions of
globalisation and international trade policy are no longer issues only for
business people, economists and development policy experts – they have become
issues of trade unions and a great number of NGOs as well. TV news transmit
news on thunderstorm catastrophies in Europe as fast as new development in
China or famines in Africa into our homes. The world has become a village, and
everybody in this world can be informed about everything in seconds. A growing
interest in international economic and political developments reflects this
situation. In Europe, like in other parts of this world, a “civil society” has
claimed participation in political and economic discussions. The Civil Society
Dialogue which comes together several times per year on invitation by the
European Commission is the natural result.
This CSD brings opportunities but also new challenges for
the representation of economic interests in the political era: the opportunity
is that there is a neutral forum where representatives of trade can discuss
trade policy with representatives of other interests like trade unions and
NGOs. The new challenge is to make the voice of business heard vis-à-vis the
political decision makers and the public in this concert of manifold
instruments. The only way to strengthen the voice of European business is a
closer cooperation and better coordination of business associations and company
representatives on the EU level.
For FTA there are also new challenges, which have to do
with the fact that the European retail sector goes more and more international.
Take-overs within the European market and beyond, foreign investment and the
export of retail concepts to the developing world and new international
alliances have become a reality for the retail sector. Questions of market
access and investment protection, liberalisation of services, e-commerce and
fighting new non-tariff barriers to trade are just a few issues which make up
to the agenda of the FTA nowadays.
FTA can look back at 25 years
of successful work for its members. We accept the new challenges and try to
serve our members even better.
Back to contents
On September 1, 2002 there will be a change in the
post of the WTO Director General: Mike Moore, a former premier minister of New
Zealand, will hand over after a 3 year term to Dr. Supachai, a former
vice-premier from Thailand. This change had already been decided by WTO member
states in the year 1998 when – as a compromise between conflicting WTO members
- the regular 4-year term for Directors General had been expanded to a six
years term to be divided between Mr. Moore and Dr. Supachai.
After
consultation with WTO members, Dr Supachai now selected the following new
deputies who will take up their duties as of
1 October: Messrs. Roderick Abbott (EU); Dr Kipkorir Aly Azad Rana
(Kenya); Francisco Thompson-Flôres (Brazil); and Rufus H. Yerxa (USA).
The
deputy Director-General to represent the EU, Mr. Roderick Abbott, is well known
to the FTA: In a 40-year career with the Board of Trade, London, and later
(since 1973) with the EC Commission, Roderick Abbott has been involved in
almost every aspect of multilateral trade policy, with particular emphasis on
negotiations and trade disputes. Until recently he was the deputy Director
General in DG Trade at the Commission, and before that Ambassador/Head of
Delegation in Geneva from 1996 to 2000.
The
American Congress finally authorized a law that gives the American President a
comprehensive Authority to conclude trade agreements. The so called Trade
Promotion Authority (TPA) ensures that for the moment the Government can
conclude trade agreements until 1 June 2005 with a prolongation option until 1
June 2007, without having to agree on individual issues of such agreements with
the Congress. It is then up to the Congress, to consent to or reject these
trade agreements as a whole.
This
procedure, which was formerly known as fast-track authority, gives the American
Government a much wider action space when concluding agreements and the
necessary sovereignty to also meet its responsibility within the framework of
the World Trade Organization. In this respect, the granting of the TPA is also
welcome from the European point of view.
It
is to be hoped that the USA do not only use the TPA to make progress with their
network of bilateral trade agreements and the Free Trade Area of the Americas
(FTAA), but to also play a stronger constructive part in the present WTO round
of negotiations. At the moment, the WTO negotiations suffer above all from the
lack in activity of the USA as one of the two biggest trading partners of the
world.
After the third meeting of the Trade Negotiations
Committee of the WTO on 18/19 July in Geneva, WTO Director General Moore was
optimistic about the further perspectives of Cancun for the 5th WTO
Ministerial Conference in Cancun in 2003 and explained that the roadmap and
deadlines for the Cancun Ministerial are now clear.
However, the optimistic estimation of the WTO
Director General cannot hide the fact that at a close study of the WTO
documents one gets the impression that there are still big differences between
the industrial and the developing countries. While the developing countries
press for the fulfilment and implementation of existing WTO agreements or also
new negotiations of individual issues, the industrial countries, especially the
EU, concentrate on tackling of the comprehensive catalogue of subjects of the
WTO.
It has also to be remarked negatively that besides
the EU proposals not enough substantial negotiation proposals have been
submitted by the other WTO Members. FTA also learned in talks with the WTO in
Geneva a few weeks ago that the WTO negotiation process drags along.
There are certain hopes in connection with the change
of the position of the Director General: the present Director General, Mike
Moore, from New Zealand will be replaced by the former Thai Vice Prime Minister
Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi who is considered to be dynamic and to have expert
knowledge and who, above all, enjoys trust of the developing countries.
In
a talk with representatives of the Permanent Representation of Denmark to the
European Union in Brussels FTA representatives discussed the main points of
emphasis related to foreign trade of the Danish EU Presidency. In general,
Denmark pursues a liberal foreign trade policy.
A
special focus will be on the pushing ahead of the negotiations within the
framework of the Doha Development Agenda of the WTO. It was announced that
prior to the summer recess the Commission will submit a statement concerning
the role of the developing countries in world trade which shall also include
statements concerning a better market access of the developing countries in the
industrial countries. It will be interesting to learn what the EU has to say
with a view to the market access for textile and clothing products.
Further
subjects in this connection are the favourable access of developing countries
to medicines, the compatibility of environmental protection and market access,
a farther reaching reform of agricultural policy and better export
possibilities for developing countries as well as the subject of a further
liberalisation of international trade in services which is also of great
importance to trade. Moreover, the Danish Presidency wishes to speed up
Russia’s accession negotiations to the WTO and will support China’s integration
into the international trading system. In addition, it will develop a positive
agenda for the transatlantic relations in order to avoid further trade
conflicts.
The
World Summit of Sustainable Development in Johannesburg from 26 August until 4
September 2002 will also take place during the Danish Presidency. Its focus
will be on the improvement of the cooperation between industrial and developing
countries. Another important event during the Danish Presidency, the 4th
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Copenhagen on 18 and 19 September 2002, will
serve to intensify the European-Asian cooperation.
In
a recent meeting with Commission officials of DG Trade FTA representatives
discussed the negotiation state within the framework of the Doha Development
Agenda of the WTO. The FTA above all addressed concern about the little
progress of the negotiations so far, the low support for the developing
countries in their integration progress into world trade as well as the special
safeguard mechanisms vis-à-vis China.
The
Commission officials pointed out that meanwhile the EU submitted discussion and
negotiation proposals for all relevant subjects in the round of negotiations to
the WTO; these position papers will still be stated more precisely in the
course of further negotiations. They also underlined that endeavours are being
made to meet the needs of the developing countries especially as regards access
to medicines but also with a view to general market access questions. As is
known, from the political point of view, the subject agriculture is an
extremely explosive subject for the EU; on the textile sector the EU has only a
limited negotiating room due to the unbending American attitude.
As
concerns the safeguard mechanisms for China, the officials promised to adequately
take into consideration the concern of the FTA in their deliberations. The
officials, too, were of the opinion that the progress of the negotiations in
Geneva is far too slow. So far the USA have not presented any negotiation
positions in Geneva. At present, the EU tries to speed up the formation of
opinion on individual issues in bilateral talks.
The
WTO regularly investigates the trade policy of its members as to compatibility
with the WTO system. Following the termination of the investigation of the EU
trade policy at the end of July the WTO came to the result that, in principle,
the EU markets are open, however, this does not apply to the sectors
agriculture as well as textiles and clothing.
One
of the main objectives of the FTA during the past years had been to push for
faster and more comprehensive liberalisation of the EU textile and clothing
market as FTA members face here most of the problems when importing into the
EU. The FTA had as well criticized the EU program for the start of the 3rd
phase of the ATC as of January 1, 2002 for its reluctance. Still more than 50
percent of the clothing products are subject to the quota system. Repeatedly,
the FTA had pointed out that under these circumstances it would be extremely
difficult to enter into the 4th phase of the ATC on January 1, 2005,
the abolishment of all quantitative restrictions.
A
faster and more comprehensive liberalisation of the EU textile and clothing
market would also have been the right signal to the developing countries with
respect to the efforts for more integration into the world markets as part of
the Doha Development Round. This holds also true for more progress in
liberalizing the EU agricultural market. The FTA is convinced: There will be no
substantial progress in the liberalisation of world trade if the EU and other
major industrialized countries do not make substantial progress to open their
markets for textile and clothing and agriculture.
The
Spanish chairman of the Textile Management Committee Art. 133, which is
composed of representatives of the EU Member States and which prepares the decisions
of the European Union on the textile sector, recently invited the FTA as well
as representatives of EURATEX (Association of the European textile and clothing
industry), BEUC (European consumer association) and the European Textile Trade
Union to a joint discussion round. The discussion focused on the future of the
textile and clothing sector after the year 2004.
Whereas FTA and BEUC pointed out the dangers which
might result from the sudden liberalisation of more than two third of all
clothing products on 31 December 2004, EURATEX explained that the European
textile and clothing industry feels well prepared for the time after 2004. It
sees a problem in the still existing high rates of duties for textiles in
several potential customer countries. The trade union’s representative
complained above all about the insufficient environmental and social standards
in the supplier countries and appealed to trade to contribute towards their
improvement.
In his reply the undersigned pointed out the numerous
voluntary initiatives – which meanwhile also exist on the European level – and
also emphasized the necessity to accelerate the adjustment and restructuring
processes of the European textile industry as otherwise there might be a danger
of an increased used of protective measures.
Back to contents
From 13 to 15 May a Forum on the computerisation and
harmonisation of customs procedures – key word a policy for electronic customs
– was organised by the EU Commission in which representatives of the national
customs authorities, of trade as well as of the future EU Member States
participated.
The well-organised forum by the Spanish hosts
comprised besides a number of lectures also two workshops in which the concept
of the EU Commission was critically analysed. As a result, the Commission was
encouraged to continue to elaborate its proposals under the following
conditions:
- that there will in
fact be radical simplifications with a view to the procedures applied at
present;
- that the
relevant legislation will become more transparent and will be rigorously
adapted to the WTO requirements;
- that the restriction
to three customs procedures (import, export and suspensive procedure) will not
have a detrimental effect on the trader;
- that
communication problems due to the multitude of languages in Europe will be
solved;
- that a comprehensive data protection will be
ensured;
- that the new
procedures will lead to a reduction of costs as concerns the customs
authorities as well as the traders and
- that there
will be synergy effects by a closer coherence with other legal issues.
Taking
into consideration the results reached in the Forum on electronic customs in
Toledo, the Commission has meanwhile revised its proposals and submitted them
to the Member States which in principle advocate the concept.
In
September the discussions about the concept will be continued jointly with
industry and trade. Against this background, FTA and EuroCommerce are preparing
a common position paper on electronic customs.
Back to contents
Finally,
the long-awaited EU paper on WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement came out at the
beginning of this summer. The FTA welcomes this first submission, but regrets
the lack of courage for a more innovative approach on antidumping.
In
Doha, Ministers decided that the Agreement on implementation of Article VI of
GATT 1994 (the Anti-Dumping Agreement) was in need of reform. The FTA Position
Paper, forwarded to the Commission and to the major players within this
delicate step of the negotiation, underlined the increasing number of WTO
Members, both developed and developing countries, which have been resorting to
the ADA.
In
its recent document, the Commission acknowledges that the divide, which existed
at the times of the Uruguay Round, between a few developed country users and
the rest of the world has faded and that antidumping is now a
"global" instrument and every country is now both a potential user
and a potential target of anti-dumping action.
Unfortunately,
the Commission position limits itself to propose to strengthen the current
disciplines, to preserve the effectiveness of the anti-dumping instrument and
its objectives, to simplify and clarify certain provisions and to take into
account the needs of developing countries without providing with viable and
applicable solutions to these issues.
The
FTA welcomes the acceptance of its proposal to a mandatory lesser duty rule, as
well as of the public interest test.
We
regret, however, that on such a sensitive issue like disclosure and access to
non-confidential documents the Commission prefers to ask for a “reflection”,
instead of heading for a compulsory and meaningful approach to the defence
rights.
Likewise,
although recognizing that the very initiation of an investigation can already
put a heavy burden on importers, the Commission does not go beyond the idea of
another “reflection” on as to whether and under which conditions initiations of
investigations could be made subject to a swift dispute settlement mechanism.
The
FTA hails at the Commission proposals to reduce the costs of investigations,
which embodies the traders suggestion for simplification and standardisation of
information collection, particularly at the initial stages of the investigations,
but lament that this “could be a further issue to be discussed”, instead of a
firm commitment of the EU. A more coherent approach to a
common application of time frames, as an example, would also highly benefit
all the parties involved in a proceeding.
In line with the proposal of
the Ministerial Conference, we stressed once again that if an investigation is
terminated without the imposition of anti-dumping measures or if an application
has been rejected or withdrawn, a new application concerning the same product
and country should only be admissible after the lapse of a minimum period of
one year. Unfortunately, there is no record of this issue in the Commission
document.
By this first paper, the EC hopes to identify possible
areas and subjects for negotiations. The FTA wishes hereby to highlight that
further topics, such as standing, a better application of the so-called
“de-minimis rule” and a careful analysis of the problem
of the duration of measures may also be put on the table.
The
FTA welcomes the Commission statement that this paper is without prejudice to
further submissions that may be put forward in the course of the negotiations,
and invite the Commission to take a more courageous position in the
negotiations.
The
European Commission has approved an amendment to its anti-dumping law in order
to recognise Russia as a market economy. This follows Commission President
Prodi's Declaration during last May's EU-Russia summit. This proposal is
expected to be approved by the Council in the autumn. Once confirmed, the
package will become EU law and the EU will be the first trading power to bestow
the recognition of market economy status on Russia.
The
FTA, representing the importing trading sector, welcomes the long-awaited Commission proposal
to amend the Basic Anti-Dumping Regulation, but regrets that China, a Member of
WTO, does not enjoy the same treatment.
In
view of the progress made by the Russian Federation towards the establishment
of market economy conditions, the Commission has now formalized President
Prodi's Declaration. In terms of anti-dumping law, this implies that, instead
of using proxy costs and prices from a third country, Russian companies' own costs
and prices will be used when calculating dumping margins.
The
FTA hails at this opening of a more coherent approach in the international
trade, but, as it did for the first submission on Antidumping in the framework
of the Doha Development Agenda, regrets the lack of courage of the EU
institutions for a concrete step ahead in international trade.
Unfortunately,
in fact, the Commission limits itself to propose to amend the Basic AD
Regulation only vis-à-vis Russia, as an important milestone on the road to
Russia's WTO accession, without taking into account that People’s Republic of
China, one of the biggest suppliers of the European Union, is already a Member
of the WTO.
The FTA salutes this amendment as a first little step
to a real liberalization of trade, and express again its wish that China will
be the next Country to whom market economy status will be granted.
Back to contents
As in previous years, the FTA publishes the EU import
statistics of non-food consumer goods for the year 2001 in comparison with the
year 2000 based on official figures.
This statistics divided into groups of products
informs in detail about the development of the EU-15-imports according to
countries and groups of countries (intra-EU and extra-EU) Besides, it includes
a ranking of imports of the EU Member States. It can be seen that countries
like e.g. France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal import comparatively less
from countries that do not belong to the EU than Germany, the Netherlands,
Belgium, Sweden and Denmark.
While imports in total declined by 0.7 %, imports
from third countries, after all, show a plus of 2.2 % compared with the
previous year. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well as Turkey
had a considerable share in this. Imports from Central and South America
continued to be declining. Their share in consumer goods’ imports into the EU
now only amounts to 1.0 %. We will soon inform you about the results of a
detailed evaluation.
This statistics will be sent to interested members
upon request free of charge and is available for non-members for 250 €.
Back to contents
At
the beginning of July the European Commission adopted its Communication concerning
‘Corporate Social Responsibility: A business contribution to Sustainable
Development’.
This
Communication is a follow-up to the Green Paper published last year on the same
subject and on which the FTA commented at the end of last year.
It
has to be judged positively that the Commission recognizes in its Communication
the voluntary nature of CSR requested by the FTA as well as other business
associations. CSR is defined as “a concept whereby companies integrate social
and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their
interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis”. Thus, the immediate
danger of the introduction of legal rules concerning CSR is off the table; this
is also due to FTA’s lobbying contribution. However, the European Commission
explained that it will take legal measures if economy does not give clear
signals for voluntary actions.
It
has to be viewed with criticism that in its Communication the Commission
requests a convergence of the existing codes of conduct and management
standards. Also from the point of view of trade, a further convergence or
mutual recognition of standards would be welcome. This, however, would have to
develop ‘on the market’. Whereas a uniform standard which is regulated by the
EU Commission has to be rejected.
FTA
also advocates another proposal in the White Paper of the Commission, namely
the setting up of a multi-stakeholder forum as platform for a structured
dialogue on CSR. Until 2004, this forum shall establish guiding principles for
individual aspects of standards, transparency and monitoring.
On
principle, such an objective is to be welcomed. However, the limits laid down
for such a forum with regard to the subjects to be discussed and the goals to
be aimed at should not be too narrow. Moreover, contrary to the pilot meetings
which have taken place so far, the participation of economy in these meetings
must be broader and more representative.
Meanwhile, FTA has started a discussion with companies
and associations of the trade sector on a common initiative to improve social
standards in supplier countries. The goal is to coordinate existing initiatives
at EU level and to agree upon a joint monitoring system. In order to proceed with the greatest possible
efficiency and level of cooperation, as many commercial enterprises as possible
should participate in this project.
The
cornerstones of such a joint initiative should be:
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A joint voluntary
initiative of European commercial enterprises to guarantee social standards in
supplier countries;
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Dialogue with trade
unions and NGOs
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Internationally
applicable, practice-orientated standards based on a common code of conduct;
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Transparency in the
interest of maximum possible credibility vis-à-vis the world of politics, civil
society and the economy itself;
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The achievement of
synergy between commercial enterprises and suppliers
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The development of
suppliers’ social performance
On
this basis, the FTA will continue the dialogue in several workshops during the
coming months.
Back to contents
As
announced in our previous Bulletins, the E.P. draft Report (“the Mayer Report”)
issued in February 2001 perfectly represented the FTA position. The Draft
Report advocated a properly thought out transition from Community-wide
exhaustion to international exhaustion, and called on the Commission to submit
legislative proposals to this effect.
Further to an intensive lobbying effort, and pursuant
to several contacts with other European Federations and with Commissioner
Bolkestein directly, we have finally received notice of a survey the European
Commission is in the process of carrying out.
In
a letter received at the beginning of August (please note that the Commission
is supposed to forward the study to the EP at the end of December this year!)
the European Commission ask for our assistance in letting them know about any
recent instances of abuse of trade marks in terms of price setting which we are
aware of, and whether or not we have already notified the European Commission
of this.
The
Commission suggest as a deadline to send our contributions 30th September 2002.
Without entering in a long discussion on how a survey
made in less than four months could really offer the Commission a real picture
of the situation, we take the occasion to invite all parties directly or
indirectly concerned in the matter to provide us with their opinions, in order
to forward to the Community instances the best possible document.
Back to contents
In
a recent judgement, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) took the occasion to
reaffirm that a natural or legal person can bring an action for annulment
against a regulation only if its provisions are of direct and individual
concern to that person. The Court added that it would be necessary to amend the
Treaty to establish an alternative system.
As
you may recall, the problem of “standing”, i.e. the possibility to challenge a
Regulation before a European Court is crucial for importers and trade
associations. In a judgement of last February, the Court of First Instance
rejected the FTA application on the basis of lack of standing.
The
situation seemed to change last May, when the Court of First Instance, in its
judgment in Case T-177/01 Jégo-Quéré et Cie had departed from the
case-law of the Court of Justice and stated that “in order to ensure
effective judicial protection for individuals, a natural or legal person is
to be regarded as individually concerned by a Community measure of general
application that concerns him directly if the measure in question affects his
legal position, in a manner which is both definite and immediate, by
restricting his rights or by imposing obligations on him. The number and
position of other persons who are likewise affected by the measure, or who may
be so, are of no relevance in that regard.”
Unfortunately,
just two months later, the Court of Justice has made it clear that individuals
can challenge a measure of general application only if that measure affects
them by reason of certain attributes peculiar to them, or by reason of a
factual situation which differentiates them from all other persons (i.e.
if they hold a dominant position on the market, importing more than 70% of the
product concerned!)
If
that condition is not fulfilled, a natural or legal person does not have
standing to bring an action for annulment of a regulation.
According to the Court, the Treaty has established a
complete system of legal remedies and procedures.
Under that system, natural or legal persons who are
prevented by the conditions for admissibility from directly challenging
Community measures of general application can plead the invalidity of such
acts:
·
either indirectly
before the Community Courts in an action which challenges the Community
measure adopted pursuant to the act at issue, or
·
before the national
courts which, since they have no jurisdiction themselves to declare those
measures invalid, can make a reference to the Court of Justice for a preliminary
ruling on validity.
In
respect of the latter case, it is for the Member States to establish a system
of legal remedies and procedures, which ensure respect for the right to
effective judicial protection. In the ECJ opinion, only the Member States, in
accordance with the procedure for amending the Treaty, have the power to change
the system of judicial review of the legality of Community measures of general
application.
We
are thus back to square one, as importers (or trade association) we have,
according to the European Court of Justice, no right to challenge Regulations
which have a direct effect on our business, unless we can demonstrate that, for
example, we are holding a dominant position on the market.
On
the one hand this judgement confirms the importance of the action coordinated
by the FTA in the bedlinen case, as an example of proceedings brought before
several national courts in order to obtain the possibility to bring the case
before the European Courts; on the other hand the wording of the judgement,
which puts on the Member States the burden to amend the current illogical and
unjust situation, incite us to lobby at national level to bring the voice of
traders at the highest instances.
Back to contents
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1/09/2002 |
Johannesburg (S. Africa) |
Special panel discussion on growth driven by trade, investment and economic cooperation- the east Asian experience in economic development and cooperation |
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9/09/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
European Council Committee
on Customs Union |
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10/09/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
European Council Committee
on Dangerous Substances and
Preparations |
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11/09/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
133 Committee
on Textile |
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16/09/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
European Council Committee on Customs
Cooperation |
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16-17/09/2002 |
Geneva (Switzerland) |
WTO Textiles Monitoring Body |
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27/09/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
Launching of ACP-EU negotiations for new economic partnership agreements |
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30/09/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
Council Meeting Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry) |
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30/09/– 1/10/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
Council Meeting General Affairs and External Relations |
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3-4/10/2002 |
Geneva (Switzerland) |
WTO Council for Trade in Goods
(Trade Facilitation) |
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9-10/10/2002 |
Geneva (Switzerland) |
WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Session |
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16/10/2002 |
Geneva (Switzerland) |
WTO Workshop on Technical Barriers
to Trade |
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21-22/10/2002 |
Luxembourg |
Council Meeting General Affairs and External Relations |
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21-22/10/2002 |
Geneva (Switzerland) |
WTO
Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices - Working Group on Implementation |
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25/10/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
Extraordinary Council Meeting General Affairs and External Relations |
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14-15/10/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
Council Meeting Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry) |
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18-19/10/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
Council Meeting General Affairs and External Relations |
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31/10/2002 |
Brussels (Belgium) |
Back to contents
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TRADE SAFEGUARD MEASURES |
Bedlinen
from India: duties confirmed and suspended (FTA Circ. N°11) |
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AD proceeding on
bikes from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand terminated (FTA Circ. N°12) |
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Future expiry of duties on some shoes from China, Indonesia and
Thailand (FTA Circ. N°12) |
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Partial AD
review on footwear from China, Indonesia and Thailand (FTA Circ. N°14) |
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Expiry of duties on leather handbags from China
(FTA Circ. N°15) |
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FOREIGN TRADE LAW AND CUSTOMS POLICY |
Redistribution
of non-textile China quotas (FTA Circ.
N°9) |
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GSP – No graduation as from 2003 (FTA
Circ. N°11) |
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Discussion Round
with the Textile Management Committee Art. 133 (FTA Circ. N°12) |
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Additional quotas for textile products for
trade fairs (FTA Circ. N°13) |
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New strategy
for trade relations with ACP countries (FTA Circ. N°14) |
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Uplift of
quotas for certain footwear, porcelain an ceramics from China (FTA Circ. N°15) |
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Electronic licensing for imports of textile and clothing from Hong Kong (FTA Circ. N°15) |
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India – Transfers between quantitative limits (FTA Circ. N°17) |
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COMPETITION AND TRADE MARK LAW |
Notification of a the Edeka/Adeg concentration
(FTA Circ. N°9) |
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New EU directive on Postal services (FTA
Circ. N°11) |
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Vendex/Brico
concentration (FTA Circ. N°12) |
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Deutsche Post must repay State Aid (FTA
Circ. N°14) |
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Parallel Imports: new
case-law on the burden of proof (FTA Circ. N°16) |
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ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL STANDARDS |
Eco-labelling for footwear (FTA Circ.
N°10) |
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Communication of the EU Commission concerning CSR (FTA Circ. N°16) |
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