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If you really hate your children....

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
..make haste to Geneva for Sunday 6th September, as the WTO has an open day, and,

"Throughout the day, children will be able to participate in face painting workshops, enter a drawing contest where the challenge will be to “Draw me globalization” and/or “Draw me the WTO”, and there will be the chance to play in an inflatable castle (outdoors in the park)".

The mind boggles. And I thought that the obligatory visit to a reservoir every family summer holiday - yes, really - was as bad as it got.

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posted by Croydonian

French Socialist Énarque 'gets it right' shocker

Thursday, September 25, 2008
This being Pascal Lamy, head of the WTO:

"They are all stressing that lessons from the Great Depression have been learned, and that the many policy mistakes that were associated with it will be avoided. But one of the important lessons of the Great Depression, which we must not forget, is that “protectionism” and economic isolationism do not work. They are policies of the past, which should have no place in our future.

....

Some of these topics, if successfully addressed, can already go a long way towards addressing problems such as the food price crisis and climate change. The reduction of agricultural tariffs and subsidies would allow agricultural production to shift more towards the developing world; enabling supply to better adjust to demand; easing the structural causes of the food crisis. Similarly, trade opening in environmental goods and services, in particular in climate-friendly technology, can make vital pollution prevention and reduction equipment more accessible to countries in need; thereby easing the climate crisis.

Less of the climate change alarmism please, but otherwise right on the money.

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posted by Croydonian

Three cheers for Cape Verde

Saturday, July 26, 2008
I can't say that my top of mind recall of Cape Verde goes much beyond, 'erm, islands off the coast of Africa, ex Portuguese colony', but having seen that it has just joined the WTO, went for a little dig:

"Since 1991, the country has pursued market-oriented economic policies, facilitating foreign investment, fostering the private sector through privatisations, developing tourism, light manufacturing industries and fisheries. Cape Verde has also developed its transport, communications and energy facilities".

And it has worked: "In 2007 the United Nations graduated Cape Verde from the category of Least Developed Countries, only the second time this has happened to a country".

The other country to get promotion is Botswana, also a free market orientated democracy.

As a footnote, the WTO states "Any state or customs territory having full autonomy in the conduct of its trade policies may become a member (“accede to”) the WTO". The UK is a member, but can it be said to have 'full autonomy in the conduct of its trade policies'? Open to debate, isn't it?


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posted by Croydonian

Pascal Lamy goes to Canossa

Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Pascal Lamy, one time Delors henchman, Énarque, Science Po alumnus, Légion d'honneur laureate and come to that, sporter of the colours of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, can be safely assumed to be steeped in la exception Française so imagine how much it must have stung for him to have said this:

"US leadership is always required to sustain the WTO but the exercise of this leadership by the Administration and Congress in the weeks and months ahead will be key to the fate of the Round". Source

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posted by Croydonian