Archive for February, 2007

Council of Europe Secretary General Praises New Fundamental Rights Agency

February 16th, 2007 at 09:15am

Terry Davis, Council of Europe Secretary General, issued a statement welcoming the EU’s creation of a new Fundamental Rights Agency. The agency will examine EU laws and institutions in order to better protect human rights.
Read the official statement here.

The European Court of Justice on Sovereign Immunity

February 16th, 2007 at 09:15am

On February 15, the European Court of Justice considered the scope of the Brussels Convention, which applies “in civil and commercial matters whatever the nature of the court or tribunal.”  The Court of Justice found that  “civil matters” do not include suits brought by a national of one contracting state against another contracting state for the compensation of damages that occurred during armed operations. The judgment and the opinion can be found here.

European Parliament Condemns CIA Flights

February 14th, 2007 at 09:59am

The European Parliament has voted to appprove a report prepared by the Parliament’s Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for illegal activities. The report condemns flights through European airspace by the CIA for extraordinary rendition as “an illegal instrument used by the USA in the fight against terrorism.” The report also notes that “temporary secret detention facilities in European countries may have been located at US military bases” and condemns several European countries for their unwillingness to cooperate with investigations.

The Parliament’s press release is here.

Google Loses Copyright Lawsuit

February 13th, 2007 at 11:44am

Newspapers are reporting that the Brussels Court of First Instance has ruled against Google in a lawsuit brought by Belgian newspapers. The newspapers had claimed that Google was violating their intellectual property rights by posting the headlines of, and links to, the newspapers’ websites. Google has said that it will appeal.

The International Herald Tribune’s coverage is here.

OECD Report on Economic Reform

February 13th, 2007 at 11:33am

In its annual Going for Growth Report, the OECD recommends its members to step up the pace of economic reforms. For much of continental Europe, the OECD recommends to improve labor market performance, whereas lower income countries should improve productivity. English speaking OECD members are recommended to improve their secondary education, and many EU countries should strengthen higher education systems.

For a press release, see http://www.oecd.org/document/45/0,2340,en_2649_201185_38086509_1_1_1_1,00.html

WTO Issues Trade Policy Review for Argentina

February 13th, 2007 at 07:51am

In its Trade Policy Review for Argentina issued February 12, the WTO Secretariat reported that Argentina had recovered strongly from its 2003 recession, but noted that continued development required containing inflationary pressures by attracting foreign investment. The Secretariat report, TPRB 277, emphasized that Argentina’s support for the Doha Round would catalyze the creation of such an economic environment. For more details, see here: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp277_e.htm.

UN Urges International Support for Iraqi Refugees

February 11th, 2007 at 09:56pm

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, is urging the international community to support states hosting Iraqi refugees. UNHCR estimates that approximately 2 million Iraqis have fled to neighboring countries as a result of the war, with Syria and Jordan hosting the vast majority of them.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21505&Cr=iraq&Cr1=

WTO Issues Japan’s Eighth Trade Policy Review

February 9th, 2007 at 09:37pm

Japan’s eighth Trade Policy Review took place between January 31 and February 2. According to the report, Japan’s economic situation has improved since the previous Trade Policy Review in 2005; however, the report indicates that further structural reform is needed in the financial, corporate and public sectors, and that increased trade liberalization is required particularly in the agricultural sector.

For further information, please click here.

WTO Panel Report on Ecuador-US Shrimp Dispute

February 9th, 2007 at 09:34pm

On January 30, the WTO issued the report of the panel examining anti-dumping measures imposed by the U.S. on shrimp from Ecuador. The panel concluded that the U.S. acted inconsistently with the Anti-Dumping Agreement in imposing the disputed measures, and thus nullified or impaired Ecuador’s benefits under the agreement. Finally, the panel recommended that the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO request the U.S. to bring its measures into conformity with its obligations under the Anti-Dumping Agreement.

For the full report, see here.

Council of Europe Secretary General Calls on Member States to Ratify Cybercrime Convention

February 9th, 2007 at 06:55pm

After the Austrian police’s recent discovery of a child pornography network on the internet, Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis called on all member states to ratify the Council’s Cybercrime Convention. To date, 18 of 46 states have done so, including the United States.

For the text of the statement, see here. The complete text of the convention can be found here.

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