Deputy Minister of Economy Valeriy Muntiyan, who since recently has been generous in handing out comments, in an interview to UNIAN revealed for us that “the main goal is not so much the Customs Union, as the CES (Common Economic Space, ed.). There would be no sense for Ukraine to be left outside the limits of the present process…” »

Deputy Minister of Economy Valeriy Muntiyan, at the end of the previous week, held a briefing on foreign trade, at which he gave utterance to, as the official said himself, an optimistic forecast for 2010: “According to our forecast, it (the foreign trade balance) will be positive, approximately in the range of USD 1 – 0.8 bln. We expect the foreign trade turnover to increase by approximately 14 per cent. This includes a growth in exports – by 15 per cent and in regard to imports – by approximately 12 per cent.” »

It has happened! For the first time ever, Ukraine, as a WTO member country, has made use of its right to settle a trade dispute – by formally complaining to the WTO against Armenia, which in the opinion of the complainant applies discriminatory taxes and customs duties on imported tobacco and alcohol products. »

World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy says that all-out, fists-swinging trade wars don't happen anymore. »

This is what bad luck is all about: before the European Union had time to come to senses after the lost case on Airbus subsidies, it has been again found guilty of violations of WTO rules, and again upon a complaint of the US! What is at issue this time is the dispute on illegal import duties that have been levied by the EU on goods covered by the ITA (WTO Agreement on Information Technologies). »

The European Union lodged its appeal against the ruling of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body that found EU government aid to the airplane maker Airbus illegal.