EU Beefs Up Trade Enforcement Amid WTO Appellate Body Decay
New European Union trade enforcement regulations allow it take protective action over its trade interests if the dispute settlement mechanisms in the World Trade Organiztion or the EU's trade agreements cannot be utilized despite good-faith efforts by the EU. The…
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new regulation also expands the use of possible trade policy countermeasures to include services and intellectual property rights. The countermeasures previously covered only goods. The rules come after a tumultuous four-year period for international trading norms under the Trump administration, which held up appointments to the WTO's Appellate Body (see 1709290010). EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the "new rules will help protect us from those trying to take advantage of our openness." The EU will "continue to work towards our first preference, which is a reformed and well-functioning multilateral rulebook with an effective Dispute Settlement System at its core. But we cannot afford to stand defenseless in the meantime. These measures allow us to respond resolutely and assertively.”