More Trade News in Brief Week 19 (4 – 10 May 2015)

South Korea, Vietnam Sign FTA

The bilateral FTA upgrades the South Korea – ASEAN agreement by further cutting import duties, more than 90 percent of all their traded goods.

Check here for more.

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Digital Single Market for Europe

The Digital Single Market strategy is made up of three policy areas or ‘pillars’:

Better online access to digital goods and services

An environment where digital networks and services can prosper

Digital as a driver for growth

Please read more here.

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ECB publishes its Euro Money Market Study 2014

The European Central Bank (ECB) is publishing its biennial report entitled “Euro Money Market Study 2014”.

Check it here.

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ICC Revises DOCDEX Rules

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has revised its DOCDEX rules, a dispute resolution mechanism specifically designed to address trade finance concerns.

Check here for more.

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New ICC Cyber Security Guide

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has published a new straight-speaking guide to help companies of all sizes manage their approach to cyber security and mitigate threats posed by cybercrime.

Click here for more.

 

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More Trade News in Brief Week 3 (12 – 18 January 2015)

* World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2015

The new ILO report includes a forecast of global unemployment levels and explains the factors behind this trend, including continuing inequality and falling wage shares.

Download the report from here.

Read more here.

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* IMF Downgrades Global Growth Forecast

According to its World Economic Outlook (WEO) update , the IMF lowered growth expectations for this year and the next for most countries due to slowdown in investment, and urged governments and central banks to pursue economic stimulation policies and structural reforms to boost growth.

Download Full-Text PDF: English

 

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* UNCTAD – Latest developments in national and international investment policies

UNCTAD’s latest Investment Policy Monitor shown that the vast majority of new investment policy measures were aimed at creating more favourable investment conditions.

Download: Investment Policy Monitor No. 13

Quick link: Investment Policy Monitor (Series)

News from EU

 

* Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA)

 

The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) is fully operational in all eurozone countries on 1st August 2014.

 

Check here and here for more.

 

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* Lithuania to Join Euro Area

 

EU Council formally approved the accession of Lithuania to the euro area and single supervisory mechanism (SSM) on 1 January 2015.

 

Read more here.

 

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* Southern African Region and the EU – EPA

 

The European Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) EPA Group (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland) concluded negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

 

For more information click here.

 

More Trade News in Brief Week 19 (5 – 11 May 2014)

 

* ICC – Guide to International Franchising

 

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has published a practical guide to help business people understand why, how and when to use franchising to expand into new foreign markets.

 

Check the “Using Franchising to Take Your Business International: ICC Strategies and guidance for master franchising, area development and other arrangements”.

 

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* US & Singapore – FATCA Agreement

 

United States and Singapore have initialled the text of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).

 

Check here for more.

 

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* EU & Japan – FTA by 2015

 

The European Union (EU) and Japan agreed to a one-year review that should lead to the “early conclusion of a highly comprehensive and ambitious” free trade agreement (FTA).

 

Read more here.

 

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* US & Israel – Reach FATCA Agreement

 

United States and Israel have concluded the text of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).

 

See more following the link.

 

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* USTR Releases Annual Report on Intellectual Property Rights

 

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released its annual “Special 301” Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR). 

 

Find the Press Release here.

 

News from OECD

 

* OECD – Economic Outlook

 

OECD published its last Economic Outlook: global economy strengthening but significant risks remain.

 

Check the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook.

 

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* OECD – Services Trade Restrictiveness Index

 

The OECD’s new Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) provides a unique and comprehensive snapshot of services trade restrictions across 18 sectors in 40 leading economies, representing over 80% of global services trade.

 

Read more about Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI).

 

News from UNCTAD

 

* The ICTPR Framework

 

 

UNCTAD has developed a model framework and methodology for conducting information and communications technologies (ICTs) policy reviews: The ICTPR Framework.

 

 

Find the publication here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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* Bilateral FDI Statistics

 

The UNCTAD’s Bilateral FDI Statistics provides up-to-date and systematic FDI data for 206 economies around the world, covering inflows (table 1), outflows (table 2), inward stock (table 3) and outward stock (table 4) by region and economy.

 

Read more about following the link.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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* Review of Investor-State Dispute Settlement Cases

 

UNCTAD publishes its annual review of investor-State dispute settlement cases (ISDS).

 

You can download it from here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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* 2013 Trade Statistics

 

According to UNCTAD and WTO estimates, world merchandise exports grew by 2%, while services trade recorded 5% increase in 2013.

 

For more details, check here.

 

Access to data:

• Volume index and growth rates of merchandise exports and imports, quarterly, Q1 2005-Q4 2013
• Values and shares of merchandise exports and imports, annual, 1948-2013
• Merchandise trade balance, annual, 1948-2013
• Value growth rates of merchandise exports and imports, annual, 1950-2013
• Value, shares and growth of services exports and imports by service-category, annual, 1980-2013
• Values, shares and growth of exports and imports of total services, annual, 1980-2013

 

 

News from ITU

 

* Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI)

 

The United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in collaboration with ABI Research launched an initiative to measure the levels of cyber security worldwide.

 

Check here for more.

 

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* US to Transit Responsibilities over Internet

 

The US Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA) plans to transition key oversight of domain names and other aspects of the Internet’s architecture to the global community through International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

 

Read more here.

 

More Trade News in Brief Week 7 (10 – 16 February 2014)

 

* First EU Anti-Corruption Report

 

The European Commission published the first ever EU Anti-Corruption Report. The EU Anti-Corruption Report covers all 28 EU Member States.

 

Please find more here and here.

 

 

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* Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Market

 

According to the latest data released by UNCTAD, the ICT goods such as mobile phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets, integrated circuits and other components at 11 per cent of world merchandise trade and among the top products traded globally – exceeding trade in agricultural products (9.2 per cent) and motor vehicles (7.2 per cent).

 

Please follow the link for more.

 

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* 2014 World Press Freedom Index

 

Reports Without Borders published the 2014 World Press Freedom Index, the Index spotlights the negative impact of conflicts on freedom of information and its protagonists.

 

Please find more about Reports Without Borders and World Press Freedom Index.

More Trade News in Brief Week 41 (7 – 13 October 2013)

 

* ICC – Drafting and Negotiating

 

ICC has published a practical guide to drafting and negotiating international commercial contracts.

 

Kindly follow the link for more.

 

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* Gambia Pulls Out of Commonwealth

 

Gambia has withdrawn from the British Commonwealth.

 

Please check here.

 

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* Revised ISO/IEC 27001

 

ISO published the revised standard of information security management system ISO/IEC 27001.

 

Kindly check here and here for more details.

 

 

News from the BRICS

 

* The BRICS “Independent Internet” Cable

 

 The BRICS’s world internet system is being built and it’s, actually, in its final phase of implementation.

 

Please follow the link for more.

 

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* BRICS Plans $100bn Reserves Fund

 

Leaders of the BRICS Group have decided to set up a $100bn fund to guard against financial shocks.

 

Check here for more.