Part I Russia threatening Global Food Security Part II Weaponizing Wheat Part III EU – Ukraine Grain Cooperation. War impact on Ukrainian agribusiness Annex Corn and Wheat import by African countries
Brown Bag Seminar “Sustainable Development: Is WTO Part of the Problem?”
Christian Häberli, WTI Fellow and MATS legal advisor, will speak at the World Trade Institute: are the WTO and the multilateral trading system sustainable?
A lot of criticism continues to abound even after the self-claimed success of MC13. There are the obvious grievances about the lack of dispute settlement and the lack of real negotiations. Businesses and NGOs point out the shortcomings in their fields of interest. Arthur Appleton and & Patrick Macrory find problems just about everywhere and make suggestions on how to fix them (2022, Kluwer Law International BV). Other scholars (Aaronson, Baldwin, Evenett, Howse, Mavroidis, Orden et al) argue that WTO has become part of the problem. Not only because of the stalled agriculture and other negotiations, or the incompatibility of the present WTO non-discrimination rules with the Climate Agreement “differentiation” obligation. The pandemic, the energy crisis, and other wars failed to move the debate in Geneva forward for even one inch.
Basically, there seems to be a consensus – outside of WTO – that the multilateral trading system is not sustainable. This raises the question whether Trade Ministry representatives masterminding all WTO proceedings are unable or unwilling to review the present rules? Could scholars or adjudicators find compelling reasons to consider non-international economic law in their assessment of a claim of non-sustainability?
My article will focus on agricultural trade (Working Title: “Agricultural Trade Rules – Where are you?”), but this lecture starts with a lot of context outside agriculture. Yet it will not join the blame game. I only propose to accept the present shortcomings in international trade and investment governance as a leverage for reforms negotiated by those who matter: WTO Member governments, and parliaments.
CSD on EU-Africa trade and investment relations – 17th of March 2023
The aim of this meeting is to discuss with EU civil society the latest developments in EU-Africa trade and investment relations and exchange views on EU trade and investment policy in Africa. The Trade Policy Review Communication published by the European Commission in February 2021 confirmed the importance of Africa in the EU’s trade policy. It proposed to enhance further sustainable trade and investment links, both between the EU and Africa and in Africa itself, while also strengthening existing regional integration processes. The link to the online event, as well as further details, are available here
Speakers
African, Caribbean, and Pacific, Overseas Countries and Territories Unit Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission.
Moderator
Civil Society Coordination – Transparency, Civil society, and Communication Unit, Directorate-General for Trade.
Agenda
Updates on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)/Associations Agreements (AAs) (trade pillar)
Latest developments in EU-Africa trade and investment relations