Ei-iE

The Bush administration and senior Democratic lawmakers have agreed to a deal to include environmental and labour protections in any new bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) the country signs.

In the latest test of the WTO’s rules on intellectual property rights, Brazil has issued a compulsory license for the patented AIDS drug efavirenz that will allow companies to import and eventually manufacture generic versions of the drug more cheaply.

Despite a flurry of high level meetings over the past weeks, senior trade officials with the World Trade Organization admit that members are still far from achieving a breakthrough in the Doha Round of trade talks.

With little progress being made in agricultural negotiations, talks aimed at reaching a WTO deal on the trade in services under the GATS also remain stalled according to trade officials in Geneva.

Trade officials expressed differing views on the draft text on domestic regulation released in February. The negotiations are focused on developing new GATS restrictions that would require that government measures adopted with respect to qualification requirements and procedures, licensing requirements and procedures, and technical standards be relevant, objective and "no...

Eight member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have renewed their efforts to press for new WTO rules allowing countries to restrict access to their services markets in emergency situations when domestic firms are threatened by foreign competition.

Congressional Democratic leaders unveiled a set of policy principles that they want incorporated into several pending free trade agreements (FTAs), as well as the country's broader trade agenda.

Two dozen groups representing American colleges are urging the United States and other member countries of the WTO not to make GATS concessions that would threaten higher education institutions.

"Education is a public good, not a commodity," said Ulla Burchardt, Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment of the German Bundestag, at a meeting organised by the Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW), one of EI’s German member organisations.

After being put on hold for nearly six months, controversial talks aimed at creating new trade rules for the global economy have been formally re-launched.

Before the suspension of GATS talks, members were divided over proposals aimed at developing new restrictions on domestic regulation. This refers to measures adopted with respect to qualification requirements and procedures, licensing procedures and requirements, and technical standards. Some countries were pressing to include a “necessity test” in the new...

Vietnam became the 150th member of the WTO on January 11, after ratifying its membership agreement.

The ten member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ended their annual summit on 15 January by unveiling a new free trade agreement in services with China.

A WTO panel has found that the United States has failed to comply with a controversial ruling against American restrictions on Internet gambling.

The European Union wants to negotiate free trade agreements with India, Korea, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an EU official announced in January.

Five million signatures collected by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) from across the country demanding the protection of public education were submitted to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on January 22, 2007.

In 2007, subscribers to EI’s electronic newsletter on trade and education and GATS will receive a brand new, revamped edition of TradEducation News. Meanwhile, the last issue of this year’s newsletter is now available for download.

EI Europe strongly supports the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in its call for the protection and strengthening of public services in Europe.