The 🇪🇺 Commission says this is the first Sri Lankan 🇱🇰 geographical indication to be registered in the EU.

For those of us with long memories, it's more than that.

Back in 2005-2006 Sri Lanka complained its exports to the EU were blocked.

Details: spsims.wto.org/en/SpecificTra…

1/3
Sri Lanka raised this in the WTO committee on food safety and animal/plant health (SPS) in 2005–2006.

🇱🇰 complained that EU rules on sulphur dioxide were inconsistent ⬇️, preventing imports of its cinnamon.

The EU and @FAOWHOCodex were sympathetic.

2/3 wto.org/english/news_e… Image
By late 2006, the issue was resolved.

15 years later Sri Lanka has a protected geographical indication for its cinnamon in the EU

WTO processes may be slow, but sometimes they produce results.

3/3 wto.org/english/news_e… Image
I should have mentioned that Sri Lankan cinnamon has also benefited from programmes such as the Standards and Trade Development Facility (@FAO, @OIEAnimalHealth, @WHO, @WorldBank, @wto) eg with @UNIDO.

standardsfacility.org/PG-343

standardsfacility.org/STDF_UNIDO_Cin… Image

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More from @CoppetainPU

Jan 26
The situation in Switzerland will determine whether/when an in-person WTO Ministerial Conference can be scheduled.

What is the situation in 🇨🇭?

1/6
1. Case numbers continue to rise, but hospitalisations and deaths seem to have peaked and are a bit lower in 🇨🇭.

2/6 covid19.admin.ch/en/overview?ti…
2. Omicron is now almost 90% of cases detected in 🇨🇭. Does that partly explain why cases are still rising but hospitalisations and deaths have eased?

The vaccination rates are not great—68% with two doses, 38% boosted. Much better among over-65s.

3/6 covid19.admin.ch/en/overview?ti…
Read 6 tweets
Jan 26
Starting today: six “plurilateral” meetings in the WTO spread over two weeks

Plurilaterals = meetings/agreements among only part of the WTO’s membership

Some: also called joint-statement initiatives (JI⬇️)

Seen as the way ahead, but controversial

1/7 wto.org/english/news_e…
Today (Jan 26), tomorrow (Jan 27) and Tuesday (Feb 1)—Plurilateral on investment facilitation for development

(Why suddenly the need to call WTO discussions “structured”? Are any unstructured?)

2/7 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/01/03/17-…
Today (Jan 26), tomorrow (Jan 27) and Tuesday (Feb 1)—Plurilateral on investment facilitation for development

Here’s the agenda for today and tomorrow

3/7
Read 7 tweets
Jan 25
TODAY: informal WTO General Council meeting, mainly on procedure

PURPOSE: chair @CastilloDacio reporting to the full membership on his consultations, Jan 18-19

TOPICS:
• If/when to hold the postponed ministerial conference
• WTO response to the pandemic
• How to proceed

1/6
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE NEW DATE?

Few keen on “virtual” meeting

DG @NOIweala: Secretariat looking at 3 options

1. Hold soon—no ceremony, businesslike, slimmed down
2. Medium (eg summer) possible
3. Long term, can prepare for it

Swiss amb. said COVID-19 in 🇨🇭 unpredictable

2/6
Chair @CastilloDacio said some members proposed a tentative date (“a window”) should be set to focus minds and keep up the momentum; others said that would be premature but members should keep up the momentum.

3/6
Read 7 tweets
Jan 17
Some thoughts on financing the BBC

How to assess the options—Licence fee? From tax? Subscription? Advertising?)

• business model only (“if it’s such value for money it can easily sell subscriptions”)
• public service (society as a whole benefiting)

Finance➡️Economics…

1/15
A couple of key concepts

• ECONOMIES OF SCALE. Eg news—from Radio Stoke to Westminster to BBC Washington Bureau to Pashtu Service (Afghanistan), reporters feed a central newsroom supplying multiple BBC outlets. Similar sharing in arts, music, documentaries, sport, more …

2/15
• EXTERNALITIES (positive), the public service dimension—when something (broadcasting) has a broader benefit than simply between the producer and consumer (more than just the viewer enjoying Newsnight or East Enders)

3/15 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externali…
Read 15 tweets
Jan 12
It’s not easy to separate issues, but I think the reaction to Monday’s @wto meeting has been overblown.

The main question: will an online meeting of ministers right now help break the deadlock over the intellectual property waiver?

Even some waiver-supporters said “no”.

1/4
Those who want an online meeting of ministers at this stage have to explain how they think it would help break the deadlock.

This ⬇️ is what happens in a virtual meeting of ministers from the whole WTO.

#TRIPSwaiver @DimitriEynikel

2/4 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/01/10/no-…
So, a stream of prepared speeches, sequenced by time zone, no interaction.

No surprise that some pro-waiver countries are sceptical too.

ACP coordinator is Vanuatu. What time will it be in Vanuatu when EU and US speak?

#TRIPSwaiver @DimitriEynikel

3/4 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/01/10/no-…
Read 4 tweets

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