Search Results for: World Trade Organisation

European textile companies increasingly overburdened by regulation say each new piece of European Union (EU) regulation they face should be assessed on the grounds of how it helps industry succeed in an increasingly competitive market. They say more should be done to boost a sector that employs 1.3 million workers in 192,000 companies and provides more than EUR67 billion’s worth of exports to the 27-country bloc, according to the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (Euratex).…

Concerns are growing about the shortage of student housing in Italy, with a series of rallies sparking a nationwide protest in over 25 cities during October (2023), with the government and universities scrambling to respond. The country’s HE accommodation challenges were highlighted nationally in May (2023) when an out-of-town environmental engineering student at Milan Polytechnic (Politecnico di Milano) pitched a tent and camped out in protest on university grounds, saying she could not afford to live elsewhere.…

The European University Association (EUA) has been preparing higher education institutions for increased sustainability requirements as governments implement new commitments made at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference, staged in December in Dubai.

It has been encouraging its 850 members, including 34 national rectors’ conferences, to follow its new EUA ‘Green Deal roadmap for universities’, which outlined policies and actions which can help universities follow a climate-neutral, environmentally sustainable, and socially equitable path.…

The European Union (EU) Council of Ministers has approved formal guidance for EU member states on making research careers within Europe more attractive to help boost the number of talented researchers working in the EU. There is concern that Europe risks losing its primacy as the world’s top destination for researchers, in and outside of academia, with a European Commission note stressing that China now accounts for 21.1% of the world’s 8.85 million researchers (as per UNESCO figures for 2021), just under the EU’s 23.5% share, but above the USA’s 16.2%.…

The world’s leading platforms and tech firms have pledged to tackle scams targeting their UK users by acting on a series of commitments within six months under a 30 November Online Fraud Charter (1). Trade association techUK, Google and Microsoft, online sellers Amazon and Ebay, Match Group, which owns dating sites including Tinder and Hinge, plus social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Snap, TikTok, X and YouTube, have all joined the Government in signing up to the world-first voluntary charter.…

Japanese paint manufacturers are facing challenging times – reducing costs where possible as the price of inputs rise, to reduce pressure on final product pricing as they deal with a local consumer market with declining consumption. Economic pressures caused by geo-political turbulence and the weak Japanese yen are both creating challenges, according to industry experts.…

Paint and coating companies worldwide are intensifying innovation as they seek to product anti-fouling products that are targeted, effective and avoid delivering environmental damage to seas, oceans, rivers and canals.

With sustainability reporting becoming mandatory in the European Union (EU) by 2026 and other countries mulling mandating International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) declarations, the pressure to make anti-fouling cleaner is growing.…

The European Union (EU) has banned imports of diamonds from Russia, which amounted to EUR1.3 billion in 2022, because of the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Most of these precious stones are sold to Belgium, a key diamond trader – under EUR500,000 go to other EU member states, according to the European Commission (1).…

Paint and coatings manufacturers and traders within the European Union (EU) are facing changes to the key EU regulation on the classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals (the CLP regulation). The European Parliament, and the EU Council of Ministers have struck a deal on updating the existing 2008 law, aimed at increasing protection of human health and the environment, while easing access to up-to-date information on chemicals hazards and simplified labelling rules.…

Prospects of a bumper cotton crop on Pakistan this year (2023) and a planned extension to December 2027 of the country’s European Union (EU) GSP+ trade benefit status has raised hopes for increased sales by the Pakistan clothing and textile sector within the country’s government (1).…