Any idea when can we expect our diplomas to be sent out? Margrit doesn't reply to that question

Simply would like to send a hello, to ask how you are doing. I am missing our times together oh so much!!

Bisous de Montréal
Aya

If my calendar and last year’s notes do not lie, today is your birthday. Therefore, I`d like to wish you a happy birthday and all the best in 2008! Continue to be our lighthouse in the world of international trade and don’t forget to post interesting stuff to this website!

By Alan Beattie in London and Roman Olearchyk in Kiev

Published: January 17 2008 08:03 | Last updated: January 17 2008 08:03

The European Union yesterday paved the way for Ukraine to join the World Trade Organisation, a move which will admit a highly productive agricultural and steel economy and give Kiev power to delay Russia’s entry to the global club.

Peter Mandelson, EU trade commissioner, said he had reached agreement with Ukraine on the capping of export duties on a number of products including metals, animal hides, live cattle and other agricultural goods. Under WTO rules each existing member can block new members from joining unless they make trade reforms.

“We intend to abolish export duties when we negotiate a free trade agreement with Ukraine,” he told the FT. “In the meantime we wanted a commitment that export duties would not be raised.”

The EU has complained that export duties on metals constitute a hidden subsidy to Ukraine’s own metal-processing industry by making it too expensive to export the raw material to metallurgical factories abroad.

Final agreement for Ukraine to join the 151-member WTO could come as early as the first week in February, whereupon it would gain the power to demand concessions from Russia, its neighbour, which first applied to join the organisation in 1993.

Mr Mandelson said he doubted Ukraine’s accession to the WTO would hold up Russia’s entry, adding that Moscow’s target of joining by the middle of this year was “ambitious but doable”.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine have been strained since the so-called ”Orange Revolution” in Ukraine in 2004.

Speedy western integration efforts spearheaded by Kiev’s president, Viktor Yushchenko, were derailed last year under the Moscow-leaning government of Viktor Yanukovich.

But Kiev’s western integration drive, including plans to join the WTO, Nato and EU in the distant future, is expected to resume after the pro-western Yulia Tymoshenko took over as premier late last year.

Earlier this week, Kiev’s leaders published an open letter to Nato asking for their country to be accepted into a so-called membership action plan - the first of many steps towards joining the military alliance.

The letter, signed by Mr Yushchenko, Ms Tymoshenko and parliament speaker Arseniy Yatseniuk, asked Nato officials to accept Kiev into such a program at the April summit in Bucharest

Russia’s WTO accession has been held up by objections from the EU, the US and other influential members, not least on the implementation of laws protecting intellectual property rights. The US music and movie industry in particular has complained that counterfeiting is rife in Russia and that the judicial system is unable or unwilling to stop it.

Mr Mandelson said EU farmers should not fear competition from Ukraine, which has a highly productive agricultural sector and is one of the world’s largest wheat growers. “As far as wheat is concerned there is plenty of demand to go round at the moment,” he said.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

If you`re in Switzerland now, the following might of interest to you:

http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news08_e/dispute350_e.htm

At the request of the parties in the dispute “United States — Continued Existence and Application of Zeroing Methodology” (DS350), the Panel has agreed to start its meeting with the parties on 29 January 2008 with a session open to public viewing at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva.

At the request of the parties in the dispute “United States — Continued Existence and Application of Zeroing Methodology” (DS350), the Panel has agreed to start its meeting with the parties on 29 January 2008 with a session open to public viewing at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva. This public session is expected to start at 10.00 am on Tuesday, 29 January 2008 and the public viewing will take place via a real time closed-circuit television broadcast. The public session of the Panel meeting with the parties may continue at 3.00 pm on Wednesday, 30 January 2008, if the Panel so decides.

With respect to the third parties session which will be held on 30 January 2008 at 10.00 am, the Panel will start this session by opening a portion of it to public viewing. At this portion of the third parties session, third parties wishing to make their oral statements in a public session shall do so. Public viewing will also take place via a real time closed-circuit television broadcast.

The number of places in the viewing room reserved for the public will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis upon registration with either of the parties to the dispute i.e. the United States and the European Communities. To register via either party, please click on the links below to be directed to the websites of the United States or the European Communities. The general public to whom seats have been allocated will need to present valid identification (passport) on-site to access the meeting room. Members of the public allocated a seat are requested to arrive in good time as security checks may delay access to the viewing room.
Please note that any form of recording or filming is prohibited. As a courtesy to other participants, cell phones should be switched off during the public viewings.

The WTO cannot offer any support, including financial, for accommodation, flight arrangements and visas.