Recent World Trade Organization Notices
The World Trade Organization recently posted the following notices:​
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- National security cited in two trade concerns at Goods Council meeting. Members discussed national security exceptions to WTO commitments in two trade concerns raised at the June 30 meeting of the Goods Council. The United States said it was investigating the impact of steel and aluminium imports on national security, while certain Gulf states cited national security interests in a discussion on their trade restrictions on Qatar (here).
- WTO records moderate rise in G20 trade restrictions. The WTO’s seventeenth monitoring report on Group of 20 (G20) trade measures, issued on June 30, shows that trade restrictions in G20 economies have risen at a moderate rate similar to that of previous years, despite the uncertainty facing the global economy. The report calls on G20 governments to show leadership in supporting open and mutually beneficial trade as a driver of economic growth and development (here).
- DG Azevêdo tells G20: Trade differences must be resolved with discussion and cooperation. Addressing the summit of G20 leaders in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo made the case for keeping markets open to spread the benefits of trade (here).
- Trade Policy Review: European Union. The thirteenth review of the trade policies and practices of the European Union took place on July 5 and 7, 2017. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the European Union (here).
- WTO, IMF, World Bank urge G-20 leaders to act on trade. The leaders of the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank urged G-20 leaders on July 6 to reinvigorate trade by reducing trade barriers and curbing trade-distorting subsidies while simultaneously seeking better policies to support workers who have lost their jobs (here).
- Germany donates EUR 150,000 to support food safety, animal/plant health standards and trade. Germany has contributed EUR 150,000 (CHF 164,000) in 2017 to help developing countries comply with international food safety, animal and plant health standards and therefore access agricultural markets more easily (here).
- Trade Dialogues: Business groups present recommendations on tackling trade barriers to WTO members. Business leaders on July 3 presented a set of recommendations on how the organization could help both small and large companies in developed and developing countries by tackling obstacles to business in key sectors of interest (here).
- WTO issues panel report regarding EU duties on PET from Pakistan. On July 6, a WTO dispute panel issued a report in the case “European Union -- Countervailing Measures on Certain Polyethylene Terephthalate from Pakistan” (DS486) (here).
- Japan donates CHF 230,000 to enhance trade negotiating skills of poorest WTO members. The government of Japan is contributing JPY 27.5 million (just over CHF 230,000) to help developing countries and least-developed countries enhance their trade negotiating skills and participate more effectively in global trade negotiations (here).
- ILO, WTO launch study on investing in skills for inclusive trade. Enhancing the skills of a country’s workforce lifts the export performance of its enterprises and better prepares them to meet foreign competition in the domestic market, according to economists from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) (here).
- More inclusive global value chains can advance productivity and growth in developing countries. Global value chains (GVCs) are transforming world trade, but must be more inclusive if they are to deliver greater benefits to developing countries and smaller companies, according to a new report from the World Bank Group, WTO, OECD, Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) and the Research Center of Global Value Chains of the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) (here).