Discussions at the World Trade Organization on key issues concerning the regulation of international trade are intensifying in the lead up to the 13th biennial meeting of the highest decision making organ of the organization — the Ministerial Conference — scheduled to take place from 26-29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
In the early hours of 17 June 2022, the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization adopted a package of decisions after five days and nights of intense negotiations that appeared to be teetering on the brink of collapse. With the WTO’s credibility on the line, trade ministers were able to compromise and reach consensus at the last minute, reaffirming the WTO’s capacity to deliver multilateral trade rules and provide trade-related responses to some of the most pressing global issues. The “Geneva Package” includes decisions on: (i) fisheries subsidies; (ii) a partial waiver of patent protections under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights in relation to COVID-19 vaccines; (iii) a moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions; and (iv) WTO reform.
On 31 October 2021, the EU and US issued a joint statement announcing that they had reached an agreement to end their dispute over steel and aluminum tariffs. This agreement removes the US “Section 232” tariffs on imports of EU steel and aluminium, imposed during the Trump administration, whilst the EU has agreed to suspend additional duties imposed on US goods in retaliation. Both sides have also agreed to suspend disputes initiated against each other at the WTO in relation to the tariffs.
As part of its post-Brexit trade policy, the UK has established its own independent trade remedies regime. Through its newly-formed Trade Remedies Authority, the UK can now investigate claims of unfair import practices from UK businesses and determine whether the UK Government should introduce trade remedy measures – including anti-dumping duties, countervailing duties and safeguard measures – onto imports into the UK.
We are pleased to invite you to our annual virtual Global Year-End Review of Import/Export/Trade Compliance Developments. Our international trade compliance lawyers from around the world will review the major global legislative, judicial and administrative activities and trends in export controls, trade sanctions, customs compliance, and import requirements which will be 16-18 November 2021.
On 14 July 2021, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will require importers to report the embedded emissions in certain carbon-intensive products and buy certificates to account for these emissions.
The Virtual Global Trade Conference is a virtual offering for all our clients and friends worldwide. Baker McKenzie’s international trade compliance lawyers from around the world discussed the major developments impacting international trade, in nine one-hour sessions which took place from 13 to 15 July 2021.
Welcome to our Virtual Global Trade Conference, a virtual offering for all our clients and friends worldwide. Baker McKenzie’s international trade compliance lawyers from around the world discussed the major developments impacting international trade. The sessions include trade policy, exports, sanctions, customs, China trade developments and trade developments.
We are pleased to invite you to our Virtual Global Trade Conference. In lieu of our annual conference in Bellevue, WA, we are excited to again provide a virtual offering available to all our clients and friends worldwide! The conference will be comprised of nine one-hour sessions over the course of three days.
Our market-leading UK trade and competition team will share their insights from 26 January – 3 February 2021 as we discuss the impact of the new UK-EU arrangements and adapting your business to the global realities post-Brexit. Full information about these sessions can be found here. Customs and Product Regulation…