The World Trade Organization has updated its program of meetings for 2010.

At the World Trade Organization's July 5, 2010 meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods, the European Union expressed concern over an Argentine measure it says restricts food imports. The EU said that since May, there have been long delays in the granting of certificates that would enable the release of EU food imports from Argentina's ports, and that there has also been a trade-chilling effect in the form of cancellation of long-standing orders to the EU.

The World Trade Organization has posted an article describing the "water footprint" associated with footwear, which is a measure of the consumption and pollution of water through the footwear manufacturing process.

In the July 9, 2010 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:

The European Commission has published a report on the European Union's seizures of drug precursors in 2008. The EU drug precursor legislation requires a systematic reporting from Member States on customs seizures and stopped shipments of drug precursors.

On July 7, 2010, the European Parliament adopted a resolution endorsing a June decision by European Union leaders to open membership talks with Iceland, which has been seeking membership since July 2009. However, Parliament asked that Iceland cease all whaling and bilaterally resolve its repayments to the British and Dutch governments following the collapse of its banks.

Xinhuanet.com states that a draft of rules designed to protect the safety of exported and imported food has been opened for public debate until next Friday. It is the first systematic regulation concerning the safety of exported and imported food.. The import and export of food additives, food products, grains, fruit and live animals intended for human consumption are all covered by the regulations. According to the draft, export food producers are required to record all purchases of raw materials, food additives and packaging. They must also record the production processes they have used and the results of any inspections their products have undergone prior to shipping.This data must be retained for at least two years in case there is a need to consult the documents.Farms that provide raw materials for exported food products are required to keep similar records and they must be registered with inspection and quarantine departments.

The European Commission has taken the first step towards a comprehensive European international investment policy with two initiatives: (i) a policy paper laying out how the new EU competence on foreign direct investment can be used to boost competitiveness and trade resulting in growth and jobs; and (ii) a draft regulation that would set up transitional arrangements offering guarantees on existing or pending bilateral investment treaties concluded between EU and Non-EU countries.

In the July 8, 2010 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:

The European Commission has confirmed that Sri Lanka will temporarily lose its preferential access to the EU market, starting August 15, 2010. Though the European Council offered to delay its February 2010 decision to remove Sri Lanka's GSP+ status pending tangible and sustainable progress on a number of outstanding issues, the Commission has not heard anything from Sri Lankan authorities and is moving forward with the revocation.