Labor

State of Play of the NAMA Negotiations

Assessment of the state of play of the NAMA negotiations by the Chair of the negotiating group, Ambassador Stefan Johannesson. The report is part of a series of reports on the negotiations in agriculture, services and NAMA in order for WTO members to prepare for the July General Council, 2005.

The Treaty Database

The Treaty Database is comprehensive overview of the U.S. history of joining or ignoring multilateral treaties. It also contains a summary of US government treaty actions broken down by presidential administration dating back to 1893. Besides the Treaty Database there are additional links to the Treaty Database Factsheet, press release and research data for the report.

The Gap Minds Itself

"WHEN I DECIDED TO JOIN GAP INC. IN the fall of 2002," writes Paul Presser, president and CEO of the clothing giant behind the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic brands, "one of the first things my teenage daughter asked was, 'Doesn't Gap use sweatshops?'"

EU To Propose Radical Revamp Of Sugar Subsides

The European Union's top agriculture official is looking to radically overhaul the EU's sugar support system in response to charges that the subsidies distort world trade and hurt poor countries, his office said Thursday. Franz Fischler, the EU's agriculture commissioner, will submit his proposals to other commissioners for a vote in mid-July, said spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber.

Arbitration Sector To Play Greater Role

China's fast-growing economy and increasing integration into the global market are prompting the need for the arbitration sector to play a greater role, said Ren Jianxin, honorary deputy director of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC).

Corporate Tax Legislation Remains Stalled in the Senate

After months of ferocious lobbying from almost every corner of business, Senate leaders struggled on Wednesday to reach agreement on a bill that would overhaul corporate taxes and create more than $170 billion worth of tax breaks for Rust Belt manufacturers, movie studios, drug companies, computer companies, shipbuilders and even Indian tribes.