Water

WTO ruling on US export subsidies favours the European Union

Today, the WTO Appellate Body confirmed that US subsidies to exports (via the Foreign Sales Corporation (FSC) scheme) breach WTO rules. FSC subsidies assist US exports worth around $250 billion, giving US companies an unfair advantage and creating major distortions of international trade. The US budgetary cost of the subsidy is around $3.5 billion each year.

China""s Slow Response to Ag Agreement Draws Scrutiny

Outside Influences Chinese leaders are failing to follow through on a major agricultural trade agreement--a critical misstep that could hamper efforts to convince Congress to grant China permanent normal trading relations status, according to top lobbyists working the issue. By not making new food purchases and by being slow to finalize agreements with individual U.S.

U.S. Loses Dispute on Export Sales

New York Times | By JOSEPH KAHN | February 23, 2000 WASHINGTON - The United States has suffered its largest defeat ever in a trade battle, losing a dispute with Europe about tax policies in a ruling that deals a blow to trans-Atlantic relations and could force American companies to pay billions of dollars more in taxes each year.

Australia Divided over WTO Ruling

Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon said the Tasmanian Government would not buckle to pressure from the WTO and the Australian Federal Government to weaken its quarantine laws and allow raw salmon into the state. "This is not a trade issue. This issue is about the protection of Tasmania's reputation as a producer of fine quality, disease free food."