Search Results for: japan

BY DEIRDRE MASON, in London

THE POLITICAL institutions of the European Union (EU) are debating how to join an international system that would protect EU manufacturers’ design rights across a wide range of non-European countries in one simple operation. In an initiative that could help auto manufacturers secure the creative aspects of their vehicle design from plagiarism, the European Commission wants to link the EU’s existing Community Design system, (which protects manufacturers’ designs within the 25 EU member states), to a global design registration system run by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

BY KEITH NUTHALL

UNEP – RISK MANAGEMENT

A BOOK detailing practical ways in which governments can reduce the costs of dealing with major challenges such bird flu, terrorism and climate change has been released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE PRESIDENT of Canadian auto manufacturer supplies giant Magna International has welcomed the European Commission’s approval of its purchase of German roof system manufacturer CTS Fahrzeug-Dachsysteme GmbH (CTS) from sports car maker Porsche. Brussels has imposed no conditions on the deal, which it concluded would not harm competition in the European Union (EU).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A SUCCESSOR treaty to the 1994 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) has been approved that includes commitments to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests, disappearing at 15 million hectares annually. The Japan-based International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) will monitor compliance with reforesting and other promises.…

BY DAVID EIMER, in Beijing

TO be beautiful in China is to be fair-skinned and for cosmetics companies, that’s an opportunity to tap the world’s largest emerging market for whitening creams. According to Chinese government figures, China’s beauty and cosmetics market was worth between 42 and 46 billion Yuan (US$5-5.5 billion) last year and a third of that total was spent on whitening products.…

BY MARK ROWE

EXPORTS of Lithuanian beer rose by 51.4% in 2005, according to the Lithuanian Breweries Association, to 1.518 million dekalitres – exceeding the combined volumes of the neighbouring Estonian and Latvian beer markets. Domestic consumption was more modest but still saw a healthy growth of 4.5% – though according to a spokesman for brewer Gubernija, the domestic market is loyal, with up to 97% of the domestic market divided between Lithuanian breweries.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS trade ministers flew home from four days of gruelling talks at last week’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Hong Kong, they could be forgiven for feeling some satisfaction: the end of the Doha Development Round is nigh, probably.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

IMPORTANT changes in the European auto manufacturing industry are expected next year following the introduction of a new crackdown on dangerous chemicals by the European Union (EU). The proposed legislation, known as REACH (registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals), has been recently adopted by the European Parliament and now requires the assent of the 25 EU member countries and this is likely to be given – at least in principle – before the year-end.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AUTO manufacturing firms will be closely monitoring next week’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Hong Kong for signs that the WTO’s long-running Doha Development Round talks are about to crack open national automobile markets. Key auto industry countries – the US, the European Union, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and Brazil – have been making steady progress this year in identifying non-tariff barriers to trade they would like to remove, such as burdensome customs procedures, technical engineering rules and licences.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is considering an application for the creation of three new civil aviation routes linking the Russian far east and South Korea, crossing North Korean air space over the Sea of Japan. An ICAO meeting concluded that the “extreme high cost of fuel has elevated this to an urgent request”.…