Search Results for: International law

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE BOOM in the robot market that continued through the 1990’s into last year has hit the skids in north America, where demand plummeted by 28 per cent in the half-year to June. However, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and International Federation of Robotics says that in Europe, the market is still expanding, with sales rising by 11 per cent in the first six months of 2001.…

Keith Nuthall
IN a surprise judgement, the European Court of Justice has blocked European Union retailers from re-importing textile products from eastern European countries or other non-EU countries, without permission from trademark holders.

By doing so, the ECJ ignored one of its advocate generals, who had advised that manufacturers should not block such parallel imports; this was unusual, as judges normally back such preliminary judgements.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation has launched a review of its anti-dumping and countervailing rules, as part of the agreement to embark on a new general round of negotiations.

Ministers agreed at their summit in Qatar, for talks “aimed at clarifying and improving disciplines,” on these protective duty regimes.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Health Organisation has announced that it has struck an agreement with international sports governing bodies to launch an anti-tobacco campaign; it would aim at persuading sports participants and spectators to abandon smoking, (including in stadiums, and block tobacco advertising, promotion and marketing.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GLOBAL convention, controlling the use of potentially harmful anti-fouling paints on ships, has been formally agreed by the International Maritime Organisation; the agreement – which has been discussed since 1992 – will ban the painting or repainting of organotin compounds on ships by January, 2003.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
AN UPDATED list of sensitive “dual-use” products and technologies published by the European Commission will allow some exporters a little more marketing freedom than in the past, despite the recent heightened concern about terrorism.

The revised list of items that are considered to be dangerous in the wrong hands allows for higher thresholds in a number of areas and this will permit some exporters, notably of computers, to increase sales without having to seek prior permission from Brussels.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is about to complete its own recommendations on safety improvements in long road tunnels. Its proposals include roadside checks on lorries to detect overheating and also rules on the amount of fuel carried through tunnels.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation has agreed to launch a new wide-ranging round of talks on liberalising commerce, negotiations that will include industrial goods, which will be combined with the ongoing discussions on services and agricultural products.

Ministers at the summit in Doha, Qatar, struck a deal after six days of bargaining, with their task being made achievable by the wide-ranging draft communiqué that was drawn up beforehand.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GLOBAL convention, controlling the use of potentially harmful anti-fouling paints on ships, has been formally agreed by the International Maritime Organisation; the agreement – which has been discussed since 1992 – will ban the painting or repainting of organotin compounds on ships by January, 2003.…

Keith Nuthall
A SET of comprehensive guidelines on the recovery of debts owed to European Union institutions has been adopted by the European Commission, which wants to avoid the unnecessary and expensive writing off of money owed. Debts to Brussels can amount to millions of Euro, and the in-house rules have especially been designed to prevent the recurrence of a case such as the Flechard Russian butter aid scandal, where a tender security of Euro 17.6 million was claimed, but only Euro 3 million was actually paid.…