Issue
No. 638, 1-15 April 2017
Formal WTO talks
on investment facilitation blocked
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India and others ensure IF can’t be
discussed formally at WTO
Formal discussion in the WTO on the contentious topic of
investment facilitation has been blocked following opposition spearheaded by
India.
by D. Ravi Kanth
Investment facilitation proposals and
India’s objections
India had objected to WTO General Council discussion of
investment facilitation on the grounds that the subject lies outside the WTO’s
ambit.
by Chakravarthi Raghavan
US, India-South Africa nix move for
investment facilitation accord at G20
Proponents of the investment facilitation issue had earlier
suffered another setback at the G20 major economies forum when attempts to push
through a draft agreement in this area were opposed by the US, India and South
Africa.
by D. Ravi Kanth
G33 insist on unambiguous outcomes at MC11
on food security
In the face of the push for investment facilitation and
e-commerce talks, the G33 developing-country coalition are confronted with the
uphill task of securing development-friendly reforms to agricultural trade at
the coming WTO Ministerial Conference.
by D. Ravi Kanth
India’s TFS proposal gets little support
India’s proposal for launching talks at the WTO on trade
facilitation in services has sparked concern among developing countries which
contend that it is too wide-ranging and not covered by a WTO negotiating
mandate.
by D. Ravi Kanth
Efforts to import parts of failed TiSA
into services DR thwarted
Proposals said to be drawn from failed talks on
liberalizing trade in services provoked intense debate at a recent meeting of
the WTO body charged with negotiating disciplines on domestic services
regulation.
by D. Ravi Kanth
Positions unchanged on public
stockholding, SSM, HOD told
Member states are still far apart on the issues to be
prioritized in the run-up to the WTO’s Ministerial Conference this December, as
revealed by deliberations at an 8 May meeting of heads of delegation.
by Kanaga Raja
Panama urged to deepen reforms on tax
evasion
Panama, which was in the global spotlight after the Panama
Papers exposed the facilitation of tax abuses in the country, needs to plug
gaps in governance and regulation in order to better curb illicit financial
flows, says a UN rights expert.
by Kanaga Raja
