International Trade
2000 Developments

11/14/00 NAFTA tribunal holds that Canadian ban on exports of PCBs breached NAFTA Chapter 11, could cost the country $20 million
10/24/00 Malaysia asks WTO to rule U.S. shrimp ban still illegal
10/09/00 American Chamber of Commerce in Europe criticizes EU proposals designed to reduce the environmental impact of electrical and electronic equipment, claiming the new rules would inhibit free trade
10/02/00 European Union announces measures to end the production of battery cages used to house hens, faces WTO animal welfare standards and labeling
09/11/00 Canadian producer of methanol, a critical element in the toxic chemical MTBE, sues the U.S. under NAFTA for a California law prohibiting the use of MTBE in gasoline, claiming almost a billion dollars in profit loss
08/18/00 U.S. Customs halts tuna imports from Spain and Panama due to the countries' dolphin unfriendly methods
04/00 CEC Secretariat now able to publicly announce Mexico's failure to observe its environmental laws in respect to an abandoned lead smelter
02/02/00 Biosafety talks conclude that the application of the precautionary principle of the Biosafety Protocols and the WTO rules will be "mutually supportive"
01/24/00 Protest participant of the Seattle WTO meeting highlights lessons U.S trade officials need to draw from the Seattle debacle in improving governance of the global economy