Trade ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries hope to have a list of environmental goods for tariff liberalisation by September, officials announced after meeting in Kazan, Russia earlier this week. The two-day gathering also saw ministers address issues such as food security and trade facilitation, while continuing discussions on liberalising trade in services and information technology products in the WTO context.

The degree to which countries can help support their burgeoning renewable energy sectors was again the subject of debate at the WTO this week, with Canada defending itself at a second dispute settlement hearing. Japan and the EU have brought two separate cases - DS412 and DS426, which are being heard together - against Canada over local content requirements in the province of Ontario's feed-in tariff scheme.

The WTO's highest court ruled on Wednesday 16 May that the US "dolphin-safe" label violates WTO law, marking another step in a decade-old dispute between the US and Mexico (DS381). Notable is the landmark finding that a non-binding label can be a prohibited technical regulation - a point that could have ramifications for consumer labels addressing anything from organic food to fair trade.