Iceland's Einar Gunnarsson, chair of the fisheries subsidies talks at the World Trade Organization, circulated a draft text on the second fisheries negotiations on Feb. 16, the WTO announced. The text covered subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing and was released in the run-up to the 13th Ministerial Conference, which is set to be held Feb. 26-29.

Haiti formally accepted the agreement on fisheries subsidies Feb. 21, the World Trade Organization announced. Sixty-one member countries have now accepted the deal, which is 55% of the way to the two-thirds threshold of members needed for the agreement to enter into force at the WTO.

Morocco launched a safeguard investigation on coated fiberboard on Feb. 20, it told the World Trade Organization's Committee on Safeguards, the WTO announced. Morocco said interested parties have 30 days from the start of the investigation to comment on the proceeding.

Four World Trade Organization members -- Barbados, Dominica, Senegal and Uruguay -- formally accepted the agreement on fisheries subsidies Feb. 14, the WTO announced. Sixty member countries have now accepted the deal, which is 55% of the way to the two-thirds threshold of members needed for the agreement to enter into force at the WTO.

World Trade Organization members during the Feb. 13 meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights adopted two reports developed by the committee's chair, Thailand's Pimchanok Pitfield, to allow for work to be done during the 13th Ministerial Conference, the WTO announced. MC13 is set to take place Feb. 26-29.

The 13th Ministerial Conference must deliver on proposals aimed at strengthening existing flexibilities in World Trade Organization agreements for developing nations, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged last week. Ten agreement-specific proposals, which were tabled by the WTO G-90 group of developing WTO nations, are ripe for action at MC13, Feb. 26-29, according to WTO.

World Trade Organization Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard said that priorities for the 13th Ministerial Conference, which takes place Feb. 26-29 in Abu Dhabi, are negotiating the second wave of the fisheries subsidies agreement, extending the e-commerce moratorium and continuing conversations on WTO reform.

Indonesia requested dispute consultations at the World Trade Organization on Feb. 12 regarding the EU's antidumping duties on fatty acids from Indonesia, the WTO announced. Indonesia said the duties violate the WTO's Anti-Dumping Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The request formally starts the dispute and sets up both parties to start a 60-day consultation period. Should consultations prove unsuccessful, "the complainant may request adjudication by a panel," the WTO said. The dispute concerns fatty acids, which are used in a "variety of consumer products as well as industrial lubricants."

World Trade Organization members engaging in e-commerce negotiations carried out the first review of text on the topic during Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 talks, the WTO announced. Australia's James Baxter, chair of the 2024 plenary meetings, said that the progress achieved at the negotiations shows that an agreement can be completed "in the next few months."

U.S. priorities during the World Trade Organization's upcoming 13th Ministerial Conference should center on extending the moratorium on e-commerce duties and advancing the second wave of talks on curbing harmful fisheries subsidies, witnesses said at a Feb. 7 hearing of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.