From seth.johnson@realmeasures.dyndns.org  Thu Oct 11 06:10:48 2001
From: seth.johnson@realmeasures.dyndns.org (Seth Johnson)
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 01:10:48 -0400
Subject: [Patents] EU Largely Isolated on WTO Environment Issue
Message-ID: <3BC529D8.90B8C6D7@RealMeasures.dyndns.org>

(Forwarded from Protecting Knowledge list,
protecting_knowledge@yahoogroups.com)

-------- Original Message --------
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 21:51:16 -0700
From: Don <dbain@telus.net>


-------- Original Message --------
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 17:53:29 -0400
From: "Dionne Stout,Tamara [NCR]" <Tamara.DionneStout@ec.gc.ca>
 
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12742/story.htm

EU largely isolated on WTO environment issue
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SWITZERLAND: October 10, 2001  

GENEVA - The European Union stepped up its bid this week for
negotiations on environmental issues to be included in any new trade
round, but most members of the World Trade Organisation remained firmly
opposed, officials said. 

The EU, which says it sees the issue as a "deal breaker" for launching
fresh negotiations on trade liberalisation, put two draft proposals on
the table at a preparatory meeting for a coming WTO ministerial meeting.
But diplomats from developing countries, which are particularly
suspicious of what they see as a bid to introduce "green protectionism,"
said the plan remained unacceptable.

"We are not prepared to open any negotiations on this issue," said one
South American diplomat.

The developing countries, backed by the United States and other rich
states, believe existing WTO accords fully cover all legitimate
environmental concerns.

"The U.S. did not see a case for opening rules for negotiation," a
senior trade official, who attended Monday's meeting, told journalists.

The 142-member WTO is seeking agreement on draft texts for a declaration
to be issued by the ministers at the November 9-13 meeting in Doha,
Qatar, as well as a deal on how to handle the developing countries'
complaints.

WTO director-general Mike Moore has been leading the campaign for a new
trade round which he sees as vital to give a shot in the arm to the
ailing world economy.

Many developing countries, however, say that the WTO needs to address
perceived shortcomings in existing free trade accords before launching a
new round.

But diplomats say the starkest differences now on display are over the
environmental issue - labelled by the EU at a meeting last week of the
WTO's ruling General Council as "of prime political importance" to
Brussels.

"The resistance faced by the EU all along remains," said one trade
official.

Trade ministers from a number of WTO member states are due to meet in
Singapore on October 13-14 in a bid to speed progress towards a deal in
Doha.    __________________________________________
Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat (Canada)
on the Convention on Biological Diversity
Place Vincent Massey, 9th Floor
351 St. Joseph Blvd.
Hull, PQ  K1A 0H3
Canada Tel: 819.953.5819 Fax: 819.953.1765
tamara.dionnestout@ec.gc.ca

---------------------------
Check out the files section at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/protecting_knowledge/files/
The UBCIC's Protecting Knowledge Conference site is:
http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/protect.htm
To change to DAILY DIGEST send a blank email to:
protecting_knowledge-digest@yahoogroups.com
For list information go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/protecting_knowledge



