WTO update

 

10 Oct 2022 Latest news

Dear maria CHADZIDAKIS VAVOURANAKIS, Below are the news items published today on the WTO public website

NEWS ITEM Members brainstorm on initiating “second wave” of WTO fisheries subsidies talks WTO members met at an informal retreat in the French town of Evian-les-Bains on 10 October in order to share ideas and think creatively on how to approach the “second wave” of negotiations to further discipline harmful fisheries subsidies. They also underlined the urgent need to appoint a new chair to lead the negotiations. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Colombia initiates appeal arbitration in frozen fries dispute, discloses panel report Colombia has initiated arbitration proceedings under Article 25 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) to review the findings of a WTO dispute panel in “Colombia — Anti-Dumping Duties on Frozen Fries from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands” (DS591). The notice of appeal was circulated to WTO members on 10 October. In addition, Colombia and the European Union, the complainant in the dispute, agreed to make public the panel findings. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Brazil seeks to join Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft The Committee on Trade in Civil Aircraft discussed today (10 October) the process for reviewing Brazil’s application to join the WTO’s plurilateral Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft. This is the first accession request to be reviewed by WTO members in this Committee. All recently acceding members took part in negotiations in the context of their accession to the WTO. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Count on WTO in coordinated action to fight food security crisis, says DDG Paugam The WTO delivered important outcomes at its 12th Ministerial Conference in June and is actively engaged in many international initiatives to tackle food insecurity, Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam said at a meeting of the Committee on World Food Security on 10 October in Rome. He highlighted the importance of keeping markets open, re-energizing WTO agriculture negotiations to achieve an equitable international food system and expediting the implementation of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. “We are committed to fight the global food security crisis,” he concluded. DDG Paugam’s full speech is available below. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Officials from French-speaking African countries complete a three-week course in Geneva A total of 26 government officials from 11 African countries classified as least developed countries (LDCs) attended a WTO introductory trade policy course in Geneva from 19 September to 7 October. This course — the first to be carried out in person since 2019 — sought to develop the officials’ international trade-related knowledge and skills, and to build their capacity to analyse, formulate and implement different types of trade policy. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM DG Okonjo-Iweala stresses importance of SPS, TBT transparency to facilitate trade Speaking on 3 October at the launch of the new Transparency Champions courses, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underlined the importance of transparency as a fundamental pillar of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures and the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement. “Transparency is a core principle of the WTO. Being transparent about these types of measures is critical to facilitate trade, making the business environment more stable and predictable, thus encouraging investment,” she said. News item   ⟶

APEC newest

APEC Bulletin 12 October 2022


Charting new pathways inspired by the Bio-Circular-Green Economy
By Sylwyn Calizo Jr.


Thailand, APEC’s host in 2022, has put forward the bio-circular-green economy as a cross-cutting, interconnected, and collaborative way of approaching environmental challenges.

Climate change is worsening. We can feel this in the recent onslaught of Typhoons Hinnamnor and Noru when they devastated communities and disrupted industries in Asia, or of Hurricane Ian when it flooded cities across America. We can sense this in the rising seawater, slowly encroaching on our coastal communities. In fact, about 167 million people in the APEC region are at risk of being displaced.

Indeed, climate change is a common concern, and rightly so, because many of our other challenges are connected to climate change—rising cost of living, creeping hunger, or deepening inequalities, among others. This tells us at least one thing: our solutions cannot be siloed. We need them to be cross-cutting, interconnected, and collaborative.

One way of developing such solutions is through the bio-circular-green (BCG) economy. It integrates policies across the bioeconomy, the circular economy, and the green economy and, by doing so, BCG economy solutions synergize the individual strengths of all three. To illustrate, economies produce waste as a consequence of economic activity, but the impact of these residuals on the environment can be mitigated or eliminated by using cleaner inputs (bioeconomy), reusing or recycling (circular economy), or incorporating ecosystem services into the production system itself (green economy).

Justice and Home Affairs Council, 13-14 October 2022..and more...

 

12/10/2022 18:00 | Press release Informal meeting of ministers responsible for energy Ministers responsible for energy met in Prague on Wednesday. The discussions were aimed at clearly defining the European Commission's legislative proposals regarding joint purchases of gas or possible price capping. The informal meeting was also attended by representatives of countries of the European Free Trade Association.

Press release

12 October 202218:00

Informal meeting of ministers responsible for energy





Ministers responsible for energy met in Prague on Wednesday. The discussions were aimed at clearly defining the European Commission's legislative proposals regarding joint purchases of gas or possible price capping. The informal meeting was also attended by representatives of countries of the European Free Trade Association.

NATO Secretary General previews meetings of NATO Defence Ministers

 

Doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg outlined the key decisions Allied Defence Ministers will take at their meetings in Brussels today and tomorrow (12-13 October 2022), calling this ''a pivotal moment for our security''. Ministers will discuss how to step up and sustain support for Ukraine, and continue to strengthen Allied defences, including by replenishing stockpiles and protecting critical infrastructure. Click here to download the doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General.  Click here to download all the video files of the meetings of Defence Ministers. Transcripts, photos and the programme of the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers are available from the NATO website.

Secretary General previews meetings of NATO Defence Ministers NATO Defence Ministers will meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday (12-13 October 2022) to step up and sustain support to Ukraine and continue to strengthen NATO’s own defences, against the backdrop of Russia’s most significant escalation since the start of the Ukraine conflict. Previewing the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO will stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” Click here to download the press conference by NATO Secretary General. The transcript of the press conference as well as the programme of the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers are available from the NATO website.

Think Tank reports on the invasion of Ukraine

 

Library blog Tuesday 11 October 2022

● General Secretariat of the Council   Think Tank reports on the invasion of Ukraine   Escalation scenarios and risk reduction measures for Russia and NATO following the war in Ukraine; how Ukraine can meet the challenge of Russia’s mobilisation; countering the Kremlin playbook in Europe; hybrid resilience in uncertain times: the Russian war and the Ukrainian society; cyberattacks in Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine and its ramifications for Europe; and the Ukrainian refugee situation and the related lessons for the EU asylum policy are some of the topics discussed in the present update.

Think Tank reports on the invasion of Ukraine

• 11 October 2022
 
• Think Tank Review
 
• gsclibrary

This is a non-exhaustive collection of Think Tanks reports on the invasion of Ukraine, covering the period from February 2022 onwards, which is regularly updated:

Kijev: An Ukrainian flag displayed on a destroyed Russian tank

© EC

GLOBSEC

NATO strategic concept in the shadow of the war

This paper discusses the change in NATO’s approach to Russia since its aggression against Ukraine, the new definition of China, emphasis on hybrid warfare, climate change, and the maintenance of Alliance’s technological edge.

THE HAGUE CENTRE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES

Preventing the (Un)thinkable: escalation scenarios and risk reduction measures for Russia and NATO following the war in Ukraine

This report raises the question of which pathways of intentional or unintentional escalation exist between Russia and NATO as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. By “thinking about the unthinkable” through the exploration of six escalation scenarios, this snapshot identifies preventative policies to avoid escalation to major war, potentially even with nuclear arms.  

EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF FOREIGN RELATIONS

No partial measures: how Ukraine can meet the challenge of Russia’s mobilisation

Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation is a sign of desperation. The brief comments on how the Ukrainian armed forces should respond, noting that Ukraine will still need weapons deliveries to help respond to the arrival of thousands of Russian conscripts.

G7 statement on Ukraine

 

Press material Tuesday 11 October 2022

● European Council   11/10/2022 17:55 | Statements and remarks | G7 statement on Ukraine   We, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), convened today with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Our meeting took place against the backdrop of the most recent missile attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine, leading to the death of innocent civilians. We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and recall that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime. We will hold President Putin and those responsible to account. The G7 firmly condemn and unequivocally reject the illegal attempted annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in addition to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. We solemnly reiterate that we will never recognise this illegal annexation or the sham referenda that Russia uses to justify it. Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia cease all hostilities and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine. We have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, including on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory. We deplore deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilisation of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences. We condemn Russia's actions at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the pressure exerted on the personnel of the facility. This is a further irresponsible escalation and we will hold Russia responsible for any incident caused by their actions. The safety, security and safeguards of the nuclear facility are paramount and we support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s efforts in this regard. We reiterate our call on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. The announcement of a joint military group with Russia constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime’s complicity with Russia. We renew our call on the Lukashenko regime to fully abide by its obligations under international law. We reaffirm our full support to Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty in its internationally recognised borders. In line with international law, in particular the UN Charter, Ukraine has the legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and to regain full control of its territory within its internationally recognised borders. We reassured President Zelenskyy that we are undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are committed to supporting Ukraine in meeting its winter preparedness needs. With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we remain ready to reach arrangements together with interested countries and institutions and Ukraine on sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. We will continue to coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine’s urgent requirements for military and defense equipment. We look forward to the outcomes of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine on October 25. No country wants peace more than Ukraine, whose people have suffered death, displacement and countless atrocities as the result of Russian aggression. In solidarity with Ukraine, the G7 Leaders welcome President Zelenskyy’s readiness for a just peace. This should include the following elements: respecting the UN Charter’s protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty; safeguarding Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the future; ensuring Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including exploring avenues to do so with funds from Russia; pursuing accountability for Russian crimes committed during the war. We are deeply troubled by the deliberate damage to the Nordstream pipelines in international waters in the Baltic Sea and strongly condemn any deliberate disruption of critical infrastructure. We welcome ongoing investigations. We will act in solidarity and close coordination to address the negative impact of Russia’s aggression for global economic stability, including by continuing to cooperate to ensure energy security and affordability across the G7 and beyond.

 

11/10/2022 16:00 | Article Prague Summit in figures The two events in the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU most closely followed by the media were held at Prague Castle on 6 and 7 October 2022. The first-ever meeting of the European Political Community took place on the first day, attended by the leaders of 43 European countries. On the second day, the 27 EU Member States met at an informal meeting of the European Council.

Prague Summit in figures





The two events in the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU most closely followed by the media were held at Prague Castle on 6 and 7 October 2022. The first-ever meeting of the European Political Community took place on the first day, attended by the leaders of 43 European countries. On the second day, the 27 EU Member States met at an informal meeting of the European Council.


The first-ever meeting of the European Political Community was attended by 43 countries, the President of the European Council Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. One plenary session, four thematic round tables, dozens of bilateral meetings and a closing working dinner took place over the whole day.

The informal meeting of the European Council was attended by all the EU Member States, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. During the day there was an informal discussion with the President of the European Parliament, a plenary session of leaders and a working lunch.
Press conferences

Large press conferences closed both the first and second days. The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, the President of Moldova Maia Sandu, and the President of France Emmanuel Macron attended the press conference after the meeting of the European Political Community. After the informal meeting of the European Council, the host of the Prague Summit Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala once again attended the press conference, accompanied by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.

Prague Castle provided five rooms designated for national press conferences, with almost 20 countries taking advantage of the option to hold a national press conference. Around ten European leaders made exit doorstep statements.
Media and journalists

A total of 1 200 journalists were accredited for the two events, with around 1 160 press badges being issued directly on site for the two days. The Czech Republic had the most accredited journalists (248), followed by Germany (126). There were also accredited journalists from Argentina, Iran, Burkina Faso, Mexico, Nigeria and Macedonia. In terms of media types, 150 television stations and 57 global agencies were accredited.

The journalists had two press centres available on site. 20 stand-up positions with a view of St. Vitus Cathedral were constructed outside. Journalists had 20 booths available in the grounds – 15 television and five radio – plus eight more open-space workplaces and space for ten broadcast vehicles.

Other interesting figures

There were around 2 000 people at Prague Castle during the Summit.


More than 400 delegates attended the Prague Summit.


More than 500 police officers, members of the security services, and the Unit for the Protection of the President were involved in security and transportation.


More than 30 special aircraft flew in to Prague, ranging from smaller Falcons, through medium-sized Airbus A319s, all the way to a large four-engine Airbus A340.


Over 250 vehicles were used to transport the delegates.


The delegates were accommodated in 15 hotels.


The services of almost 100 interpreters were used during the Prague Summit.


More than 80 tonnes of material was transported to Prague Castle.


More than 3 000 badges were printed.

Βασίλης Κικίλιας,Υπουργός Τουρισμού: "Τουρισμός μαζί με Πολιτισμό το συγκριτικό μας πλεονέκτημα για το 2023"

 

Στο στρατηγικό σχεδιασμό που υλοποιείται, προκειμένου η Ελλάδα να αναδειχθεί ως κορυφαίος πολιτιστικός αλλά και βιώσιμος, με οικολογικό αποτύπωμα προορισμός, αναφέρθηκε ο Υπουργός Τουρισμού Βασίλης Κικίλιας στο χαιρετισμό που απηύθυνε στο Φόρουμ Πολιτιστικών Διαδρομών του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης που διεξάγεται στα Χανιά.  

Ο κ. Κικίλιας δήλωσε ότι στόχος του Υπουργείου είναι να αναπτύξει και να στηρίξει ένα τουριστικό προϊόν το οποίο θα συνδυάζει τις πολιτιστικές διαδρομές με την πράσινη ανάπτυξη. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο, όπως τόνισε, η επόμενη καμπάνια του Υπουργείου Τουρισμού και του ΕΟΤ θα αφορά το βιώσιμο τουριστικό μοντέλο της χώρας μας, το οποίο θα είναι φιλικό προς το περιβάλλον, με πράσινη και μπλε οικονομία,  και με σεβασμό στην ιστορία και τον πολιτισμό του τόπου μας.  

Ο Υπουργός Τουρισμού έκανε ιδιαίτερη αναφορά στα Χανιά αλλά και σε ολόκληρη την Κρήτη λέγοντας χαρακτηριστικά: «Τα Χανιά και η Κρήτη είναι ένας τουριστικός προορισμός  που προσφέρει γνώσεις για τη μοναδική ιστορία και τον απαράμιλλο πολιτισμό σε κάθε ταξιδιώτη και επισκέπτη καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του έτους. Αυτό θέλουμε να στηρίξουμε και να ενισχύσουμε, γι΄ αυτό και το 2023- και μέσω της καμπάνιας που προωθούμε- θα είναι η χρονιά ενός βιώσιμου τουριστικού μοντέλου».