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A paper from a scientific advisory board to the German ministry of agriculture examines bio-energy policy in Germany, and recommends certain forms of bio-gas as the most efficient ways to reduce greenhouse gases. According to the paper, the forms of bio-energy that have received the most attention from policy makers in Germany have been liquid biofuels.

An OECD working paper presents an exploratory analysis of export subsidies in the services field. The report, while not generating accurate measures of the extent and effects of export subsidies for services, provides evidence that these measures are used by many countries in the developed and developing worlds to support a wide range of services sectors.

A report released in January by a US steel industry group attempts to build the case that China's subsidies to its steel industry are in violation of its WTO commitments. China's steel production and consumption has expanded rapidly in recent years; in 2005 China become a net steel importer, a development directly correlated with generous energy subsidies that benefit the steel industry, according to the report.

The European Union fisheries sector is firmly part of the global fisheries crisis. In Europe more than 80% of known resources are over-fished, while overseas EU fleets have done more than their share to bring commercial productivity of the oceans to an all-time low.

On 30 November, Uruguayan Ambassador Guillermo Valles Games and chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) released a first draft of a text outlining possible disciplines to regulate fisheries subsidies.

A U.S. consulting firm has released a study that says renewable power and biofuels could supply up to 16 percent of global electric and transport needs, but that government policies such as mandates and subsidies will need to be key drivers.

A survey of agricultural accountants in the United Kingdom finds that subsidies accounted for nearly 97 percent of farm profits in 2006/07. According to the survey by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the average net profit for British farms was £46,300, while average subsidy receipts were £45,000.

A new study has examined the tax incentives and subsidies that will be required to meet U.S. biofuels mandates. The results show that subsidies of nearly US$ 2.50 per gallon to biodiesel and US$ 1.86 per gallon to cellulosic ethanol will be required to stimulate production that meets the mandates. The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandates the use of 36 billon gallons of biofuels by 2022.

Finnish telecoms giant Nokia has angered the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) by announcing its plans to close a cell-phone manufacturing plant in Bochum, Germany. At the center of the dispute is over €40 million worth of investment subsidies that NRW gave Nokia in order to attract the company.

A think-tank has estimated subsidies to Canadian businesses in 2004, and found that they more than doubled since 1995. The Fraser Institute calculates that some C$19 billion in subsidies was paid to businesses in 2004 (which was the last year for which data is available), up from C$ 10.3 billion in 1995.