@coppetainpu.bsky.social
In 🇨🇭, from all over. Mainly trade. Journalist. WTO Secretariat 1996-2015. Usual disclaimers. Member: http://fmg-geneva.org. Web: https://tradebetablog.wordpress.com/ (follow for alerts)
Conformity assessment -- how companies show their products meet required standards -- is a big issue in trade and a tecnical trade barrier, particularly when standards vary. The WTO Secretariat has a new explanation.
www.wto.org/english/trat...
In case of interest, the agenda for the WTO General Council, Tue and Wed is here. The items on preparations for the Ministerial Conference and not under "for decision". Eg, WTO reform is only a report, so it's unclear if the facilitator's draft will be forwarded or opposed
Nice one!
More ... chocolate ... 🤞
The US could do that too, couldn't it? 🧊
First of a series. This one outlines the series. Clear, easy to understand, including the importance of the hotly debated non-discrimination (MFN) principle. From the WTO's new chief economist
if parties treat an international agreement as "binding" it is, in practice, so I like @simonlester.com conclusion which gets at the real impasse in reforming WTO dispute settlement
Definitely read
@financialtimes.com refers to a paper "seen by the FT". Everyone can see it. It's a public document, here: docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages...
@financialtimes.com refers to a paper "seen by the FT". Everyone can see it. It's a public document, here: docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages...
My mistake. It's Fribourg not Bern that hasn't reported results
Results: still waiting for Bern canton. But because majorities of cantons count, 3 initiatives are "no": constitutional obligation to keep cash available (but the weaker counter-initiative is heading for "yes"), cutting the media licence, creating a climate fund. Separate tax for spouses: "yes"?
#WTOReform latest. Mar 10-11: the final WTO General Council meeting before the Yaoundé Ministerial Conference #MC14. Norway Amb. Petter Petter Ølberg has a 12-page pre-Yaoundé report, including:
1. Draft statement
2. Points for ministers to discuss
3. Work plan for after
4. Wide disagreements still
For the "cash" initiative, 🇨🇭 voters have three votes:
1. to accept or reject the initiative
2. to accept or reject the counterproposal
3. which one should prevail if both are accepted.
The 3 others are: cutting the TV/radio licence, an environmental fund, separate taxation for married couples
2/2
On Sunday, the first 🇨🇭 federal vote of 2026 has four issues. One is unusual procedurally. It's an initiative for a constitutional guarantee that cash will be available. There's also a counter-initiative from the government, also for a constitutional requirement but toned down.
1/2
OK. Time to turn in. Goodnight
This is going to get lost in today’s other news, but the AGs and the govs have it right. Section 122 is a relic of the past and is no longer germane to modern trade policy. Unfortunately, the case is likely to require more than 150 days to be decided and appealed. Hope I’m wrong about that.
This is "plurilateral" because only part of the membership (128 out of 166) participates. To add it to the rule book requires WTO-wide consensus.
Harsh words exchanged in December tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/o...
The draft decision: docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages...
2/2
If at first you don't succeed, try, try ... 128 participants in the WTO agreement on investment facilitation will again seek consensus to add their "plurilateral" deal to be added to WTO rules when ministers meet this month
11 failed attempts so far tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2024/07/22/1...
1/2
Calm
No I don't. That's a photo of the kind of compass I played with a long, long time ago
Ahem. Excuse me. How do you "leverage" an agreement that has been blocked from entering the WTO rule-book for over two years, with no sign of the objecting countries unblocking it?
www.wto.org/english/news...
More like this
I'd forgotten the stadium, but that's quite a stretch! The actual explanation was quite amusing. "We know no one likes us, but we don't care"
Mind-boggled by the idea that Iran is "the Millwall of Western Asia"
#BBCPM
The trouble is, that adjustment line on my compass* is no longer valid for where I am.
* I don't actually have a compass any more
It means my compass is not longer as accurate as it used to be
Interesting title, whether "the" or not. Something each of us will react to differently. In my case, Cittàgazze came to mind
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locatio...
But what about international law – continued.
A new post at The Empty City on how Western one-sidedness in what they openly condemn as a breach of international law is neither coherent nor compelling
Personal blog: theemptycity.com/blog/2026/03...
Substack: emptycity.substack.com/p/but-what-a...
