The European Commission's delegation to the U.S. reports that as of mid-January 2008, 35 countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) had signed either interim or full Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the EC. The EC intends to upgrade the interim agreements into comprehensive EPAs throughout 2008.
Presstelegram.com reports that a new study shows that the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles would only lose about 1.2% of their annual container throughput if authorities in San Pedro Bay implement their proposed clean-truck program, which would restrict marine terminal access to trucking companies with the cleanest trucks operated by employee drivers, and is awaiting ratification by both port commissions. (Presstelegram.com, dated 09/18/07, available at http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_6922630?IADID)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing that at the request of the U.S., the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization has established a dispute settlement panel (DSP) to examine whether the European Community has implemented the recommendations and rulings of the DSB in a long-standing dispute regarding the EC's import regime for bananas.