Global

The WTO Secretariat has circulated a meeting notice and list of items proposed for the next meeting, on 24 May 2013, of the Dispute Settlement Body, which consists of all WTO members and oversees legal disputes among them. The meeting notice is circulated in the form of a document officially called an “airgram”.

Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech at the University of Nairobi on 22 May 2013, said: “Africans today are more confident and hopeful in the future than ever before. This is also the great transformation that I have seen in the attitude of African negotiators in WTO: confident that trade, if coupled with domestic policies and Aid for Trade can be an engine for growth.”

The activist's interest in the faded consumer electronics brand already has made one point clear: The shares are undervalued.

The OECD and the WTO released on 17 May 2013 the first update of their joint database on trade in value added. This new version deepens the analytical depth of the first release of 16 January 2013 by presenting the indicators for a wider country coverage; monitoring past developments is also made possible by the inclusion of two additional reference years (1995 and 2000).

Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech at the European Business Summit in Brussels on 15 May 2013, said that “a big part of the answer to improving European competitiveness lies in a greater and better leveraging of Europe’s comparative advantage: the size of its internal market”. He added that “a further effort in opening up the services sector in Europe would go a long way in improving European competitiveness”.

Argentina notified the WTO Secretariat, on 15 May 2013, of a request for consultations with the European Union on measures imposed by the EU and/or its member states that affect the importation and marketing of biodiesel as well as measures supporting the biodiesel industry.

Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech to Institute Notre Europe in Brussels on 15 May 2013, said that “90% of the growth addressed to the European Union in the next ten years will originate outside Europe…an increased economic engagement with middle and global powers, and in particular emerging countries, will be a key lever for Europe’s growth”.

General Council appoints Azevêdo as next Director-General, Lamy pledges smooth transition At a special meeting on 14 May 2013, the General Council approved the appointment of Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (Brazil) as the next Director-General of the WTO. He begins his term of office on 1 September 2013. Director-General Pascal Lamy pledged to work closely with Ambassador Azevêdo in ensuring a smooth transition.

General Council appoints Azevêdo as next Director-General, Lamy pledges smooth transition At a special meeting on 14 May 2013, the General Council approved the appointment of Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (Brazil) as the next Director-General of the WTO. He begins his term of office on 1 September 2013. Director-General Pascal Lamy pledged to work closely with Ambassador Azevêdo in ensuring a smooth transition.

General Council appoints Azevêdo as next Director-General, Lamy pledges smooth transition At a special meeting on 14 May 2013, the General Council approved the appointment of Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (Brazil) as the next Director-General of the WTO. He begins his term of office on 1 September 2013. Director-General Pascal Lamy pledged to work closely with Ambassador Azevêdo in ensuring a smooth transition.

At a special meeting on 14 May 2013, the General Council approved the appointment of Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (Brazil) as the next Director-General of the WTO. He begins his term of office on 1 September 2013. Director-General Pascal Lamy pledged to work closely with Ambassador Azevêdo in ensuring a smooth transition.

After a tough re-election campaign, the prime minister declares his country a "Buy." Foreign investors aren't too sure.

Trade Policy Review: Macao, China The fourth review of the trade policies and practices of Macao, China takes place on 13 and 15 May 2013. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by Government of Macao, China.

The fourth review of the trade policies and practices of Macao, China takes place on 13 and 15 May 2013. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by Government of Macao, China.

Troika recommends Carvalho de Azevêdo to be the next WTO Director-General At an informal meeting of the Heads of Delegation on 8 May 2013, the three facilitators in the process of selecting the next WTO Director-General recommended Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (Brazil) as the candidate who can gain consensus approval of WTO members. The facilitators suggested that members approve Amb. Azevêdo as Director-General at the General Council meeting on 14 May 2013.

At an informal meeting of the Heads of Delegation on 8 May 2013, the three facilitators in the process of selecting the next WTO Director-General recommended Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (Brazil) as the candidate who can gain consensus approval of WTO members. The facilitators suggested that members approve Amb. Azevêdo as Director-General at the General Council meeting on 14 May 2013.

Austria donated EUR 200,000 (about CHF 243,600) to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) for 2013. With this last donation, Austria’s total contribution to the WTO trust fund has reached EUR 2.88 million (CHF 3.5 million).

Last year the country's banks finally started to recover from the financial crisis. Their stocks still have room to move.

Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech to the Joint Advisory Group of the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva on 6 May 2013, paid tribute to the leadership of ITC Executive Director Patricia Francis during the past seven years. He said that “ITC continues to be seen by policy makers and policy users around the globe as an implementer of real world policies and as an organization that has its fingers on the pulse of the needs and priorities of the private sector.”

On 6 May 2013, the WTO Appellate Body issued its reports in the cases “Canada – Certain Measures Affecting the Renewable Energy Generation Sector” (DS412) and “Canada – Measures Relating to the Feed in Tariff Program” (DS426), respectively.