NAMA / ITA / EGs

Labor leaders from developing countries argue against cuts in industrial tariffs

7 March, 2007
John Zarocostas, International Herald Tribune
Labor leaders from Brazil, India, South Africa and eight other developing countries joined together formally for the first time Thursday to fight demands by rich countries in global trade talks for sweeping cuts in industrial tariffs.

Brazil and India Hang Tough

7 March, 2007
Washington Trade Daily
Brazil and India agreed this week to reject a coefficient of '15' as advanced by the European Union and the United States in the tariff-cutting formula for developing countries in the nonagricultural market access negotiations.

Debating ‘10’ and ‘15’

1 March, 2007
Washington Trade Daily
Ahead of another four-member ministerial effort to reach a 'breakthrough' in the long-stalled Doha Development Agenda negotiations, the NAMA-11 coalition of developing countries yesterday warned that a Swiss formula coefficient of '10' for industrialized countries and '15' for developing countries is 'totally unfair and unbalanced.'

NAMA Group concludes four days of consultations

6 February, 2007
Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Feb07/03)
The WTO Negotiating Group on Market Access for Non-agricultural Products (NAMA) concluded on Thursday 25 January four days of consultations in different formats to advance the technical work in the negotiations. The consultations to advance technical work covered areas such as Ad Valorem Equivalents, Non-Tariff Barriers, Recently Acceded Members and sectorals.

A NAMA Caucus

31 January, 2007
Washington Trade Daily
The chair of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations on nonagricultural market access Don Stephenson has created what he calls a NAMA caucus of some two dozen key World Trade Organization members to accelerate work on all core issues.

Real progress needed on NTBs and sectorals, says NAMA Chair

29 January, 2007
By Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
The Chair of the WTO Negotiating Group on Market Access for Non-agricultural Products (NAMA), in his first open-ended consultations of the new year, encouraged members to work harder on  the issues of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and ‘sectorals’.

G-33 asks World Bank to tweak ?flawed? paper on special products

12 January, 2007
The Financial Express
The World Bank has come under a torrent of criticism from the G-33 group, comprising India and 45 other developing countries, for its paper, which called for raising agricultural prices substantially through special products (SPs)

G-33 warns WB on ?special products? paper

11 January, 2007
The Economic Times, India
The G-33 group of developing countries, including India and 46 other countries has warned the World Bank that its

G-33 blasts draft World Bank paper on Special Products as anti-development

11 January, 2007
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt of India
The G-33 group of 46 developing countries had sent a detailed critique on the initial draft paper authored by Maros Ivanic and Will Martin for the World Bank, pointing out that the paper was fundamentally flawed in its assumptions and methodology, ignored the reality of the prevailing agrarian structures in most developing countries and misinterpreted the proposed operation and impact of Special Products (SPs).

NAMA - Not An Easy Row to Hoe

10 January, 2007
Washington Trade Daily
As the negotiating climate for the Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations receives a boost from two major players - the United States and the European Union - increased activity in the nonagricultural market access negotiations is expected in the weeks ahead

NAMA Talks to Resume, despite the lack of movement

4 December, 2006
By Goh Chien Yen, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
The Negotiating Group on Non- Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) met on 1 December, for the first time

Report 3 on UNCTAD meetings: Doha talks should resume but on development basis

9 October, 2006
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Oct06/04)
The World Trade Organisation's Doha negotiations should resume as soon as possible, and on the basis of the development mandate and principle so that the developing countries will really benefit, according to many developing countries individually or through their groupings.

WTO General Council officially suspends talks indefinitely

26 July, 2006
Agence Europe
In Geneva, on Thursday, at the request of WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, the ambassadors of the 149 WTO member nations, meeting in General Council, officially agreed to suspend Doha Round talks indefinitely after the stalled meeting on 24 July when the major G-6 trading powers (EU, United States, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan) were unable to reach a compromise on the modalities (figures and other provisions) for trade liberalisation in agricultural products and non-agricultural manufactured articles (NAMA).

Numsa plan marches on US and EU embassies over tariffs reductions

16 July, 2006
National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa)
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) is to stage countrywide general strikes in August to halt removal of industrial tariffs which are expected to open up markets and destroy more jobs and industries.

NAMA modalities paper shows up many areas of division

26 June, 2006
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
The paper on draft modalities for non-agriculture market access (NAMA) that will serve as the basis for WTO negotiations in the next ten days contains little in the form of agreed text, and more in terms of comments on the areas of present disagreement among the WTO members.

Developing countries submit texts for NAMA modalities

20 June, 2006
By Goh Chien Yen, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
Several WTO members submitted draft texts last week to the Chair of the Negotiating Group on NAMA for his preparation of the draft modalities paper, which is to be issued this week. Among them were the NAMA-11 and the small and vulnerable economies.

Differences remain as NAMA Chair prepares his modalities text

20 June, 2006
By Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
The Chair of the negotiations on Non-Agriculture Market Access (NAMA) at the WTO has reported that he would be working on a text that would reflect members' positions on modalities for the consideration of Ministers at a meeting expected to take place later this month in Geneva.

Beware of NAMA's slippery slope to de-industrialisation

20 June, 2006
By Mehdi Shafaeddin, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
Following the failure of the WTO to finalise modalities for agriculture and non-agriculture market access (NAMA) at the scheduled deadline of the end of April, the WTO's Director-General Mr. Pascal Lamy warned that the price of 'failure' would be high. A new deadline of the end of June has now been set, for a mini-Ministerial meeting to finalise the modalities.

Spurt of NAMA talks planned till mid-June

2 May, 2006
Martin Khor and Goh Chien Yen (TWN), Geneva, 28 April 2006
Negotiations on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) will intensify with almost continuous meetings from 1 May to 16 June.

New NAMA Report from Chair including Posible Modalities

26 April, 2006
Carin Smaller
Link to the latest progress report from the chair of the NAMA negotiations, Ambassador Stephenson, which includes possible language for modalities.