Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Groups in the negotiations (PSC Important Must Read)

ACP

African, Caribbean and Pacific countries with preferences in the EU
Issues: Agricultural preferences
Nature: Geographical
Website: http://www.acpsec.org
WTO members (60): Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
WTO observers (8): Bahamas, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Sudan
Not WTO members or observers (11): Cook Islands, Eritrea, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Federated States of, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu
African group

African members of the WTO
Issues: General
Nature: Regional
WTO members (42): Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Asian developing members

Asian developing WTO members. Announced in document WT/GC/COM/6 of 27 March 2012
Issues: General
Nature: Regional
Documents: WT/GC/COM/6
WTO members (31): Bahrain, Kingdom of, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Korea, Republic of, Kuwait, the State of, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Macao, China, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam
APEC

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum
Issues: General
Nature: Regional
Website: http://www.apec.org
WTO members (21): Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam
ASEAN

Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Issues: General
Nature: Regional
Website: http://www.asean.org
WTO members (10): Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam
EU

European Union
Issues: General
Nature: Customs union
Website: http://ec.europa.eu
WTO members (29): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Union (formerly EC), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
Mercosur

Common Market of the Southern Cone, a customs union (Mercosul in Portuguese)
Issues: General
Nature: Customs union
Website: http://www.mercosur.int
WTO members (4): Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay
G-90

African Group + ACP + least-developed countries
Issues: General
WTO members (69): Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
WTO observers (10): Afghanistan, Bahamas, Bhutan, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Sudan
Not WTO members or observers (12): Cook Islands, Eritrea, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Federated States of, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu
Least-developed countries (LDCs)

Least developed countries: the world’s poorest countries. The WTO uses the UN list (pdf) available here: www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/ldc_info.shtml
Issues: General
Website: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/ldc/ldc_list.pdf
WTO members (34): Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia
WTO observers (8): Afghanistan, Bhutan, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Sudan
Not WTO members or observers (6): Eritrea, Kiribati, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu
Small, vulnerable economies (SVEs) — agriculture

This list is based on sponsors of proposals. See also: list in Annex I of the 6 December 2008 revised draft agriculture modalities, and footnote 11 (paragraph 65) and paragraph 157-159.
Issues: Agriculture
WTO members (15): Barbados, Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago
Small, vulnerable economies (SVEs) — NAMA

This list is based on sponsors of proposals. See also: definition in paragraph 13 of the 10 July 2008 revised draft NAMA modalities
Issues: NAMA
WTO members (20): Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Maldives, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago
Small, vulnerable economies (SVEs) — rules

Sponsors of TN/RL/W/226/Rev.5
Issues: Rules (fisheries subsidies)
Documents: TN/RL/W/226/Rev.5
WTO members (15): Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Honduras, Jamaica, Maldives, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga
Recent new members (RAMs)

Recently acceded members (RAMs), ie, countries that negotiated and joined the WTO after 1995, seeking lesser commitments in the negotiations because of the liberalization they have undertaken as part of their membership agreements. Excludes least-developed countries because they will make no new commitments, and EU members
Issues: General
WTO members (19): Albania, Armenia, Cabo Verde, China, Chinese Taipei, Ecuador, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Republic of, Mongolia, Oman, Panama, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, Tonga, Ukraine, Viet Nam
Low-income economies in transition

Seeking to secure the same treatment as least-developed countries. (Georgia formally withdrew, but in the agriculture draft the full list is: Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyz Rep, Moldova)
Issues: Agriculture
WTO members (3): Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Republic of
Cairns group

Coalition of agricultural exporting nations lobbying for agricultural trade liberalization.
Issues: Agriculture
Website: http://www.cairnsgroup.org
WTO members (20): Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, Viet Nam
Tropical products

Coalition of developing countries seeking greater market access for tropical products
Issues: Agriculture
WTO members (8): Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru
G-10

Coalition of countries lobbying for agriculture to be treated as diverse and special because of non-trade concerns (not to be confused with the Group of Ten Central Bankers)
Issues: Agriculture
WTO members (9): Chinese Taipei, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Norway, Switzerland
G-20

Coalition of developing countries pressing for ambitious reforms of agriculture in developed countries with some flexibility for developing countries (not to be confused with the G-20 group of finance ministers and central bank governors, and its recent summit meetings)
Issues: Agriculture
Website: http://www.g-20.mre.gov.br
WTO members (23): Argentina, Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of, Zimbabwe
G-33

Also called “Friends of Special Products” in agriculture. Coalition of developing countries pressing for flexibility for developing countries to undertake limited market opening in agriculture
Issues: Agriculture
WTO members (46): Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, China, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Republic of, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Cotton-4

West African coalition seeking cuts in cotton subsidies and tariffs
Issues: Agriculture (Cotton)
WTO members (4): Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali
NAMA-11

Coalition of developing countries seeking flexibilities to limit market opening in industrial goods trade
Issues: NAMA
WTO members (10): Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Namibia, Philippines, South Africa, Tunisia, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Paragraph 6 countries

Group of countries with less than 35% of non-agricultural products covered by legally bound tariff ceilings. They have agreed to increase their binding coverage substantially, but want to exempt some products. (In paragraph 6 of the first version of the NAMA text, later paragraph 8.)
Issues: NAMA
WTO members (12): Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Congo, Cuba, Ghana, Kenya, Macao, China, Mauritius, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Zimbabwe
Friends of Ambition (NAMA)

Seeking to maximize tariff reductions and achieve real market access in NAMA. (Some nuanced differences in positions.)
Issues: NAMA
WTO members (35): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Union (formerly EC), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States
Friends of A-D Negotiations (FANs)

Coalition seeking more disciplines on the use of anti-dumping measures
Issues: Rules (anti-dumping)
WTO members (15): Brazil, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, China, Israel, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey
Friends of Fish (FoFs)

Informal coalition seeking to significantly reduce fisheries subsidies. From time to time other WTO members also identify themselves as “Friends of Fish”
Issues: Rules (fisheries subsidies)
WTO members (11): Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, United States
“W52” sponsors

Sponsors of TN/C/W/52, a proposal for “modalities” in negotiations on geographical indications (the multilateral register for wines and spirits, and extending the higher level of protection beyond wines and spirits) and “disclosure” (patent applicants to disclose the origin of genetic resources and traditional knowledge used in the inventions). The list includes as groups: the EU, ACP and African Group. * Dominican Rep. is in the ACP and South Africa is in the African Group, but they are sponsors of TN/IP/W/10/Rev.2 on geographical indications
Issues: Intellectual property (TRIPS)
Documents: TN/C/W/52
WTO members (109): Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, European Union (formerly EC), Fiji, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Republic of, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Joint proposal (in intellectual property)

Sponsors of TN/IP/W/10/Rev.4 proposing a database that is entirely voluntary
Issues: TRIPS GI register
Website: http://www.wto.org/trips#issues
Documents: T
WTO members (20): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Paraguay, South Africa, United