World Trade Organization members need to ramp up discussions in the coming weeks to have a "fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system" by the end of the year, said Mauritius' Usha Dwarka-Canabady, facilitator of the WTO's dispute settlement reform talks.
China opened a dispute at the World Trade Organization Oct. 11 against Turkey's 40% import duties on Chinese electric vehicles, the WTO announced. The complaint said the rate is greater than the duty rate laid out in Turkey's schedule of concessions and higher than duties on EV imports from other nations.
Ecuador formally accepted the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies Oct. 9, bringing the number of countries that have accepted the deal to 84. The WTO needs 27 more acceptances to reach the two-thirds membership threshold for the agreement to take effect.
The World Trade Organization on Oct. 8 formally began the process for appointing the next director-general, the trade body announced. Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whose term ends Aug. 31, plans to seek reappointment. Member nations have until Nov. 8 to submit nominations, after which candidates will have a three-month window ending Feb. 8 to "engage with members and present their qualifications." A choice is expected April 8.
The EU officially filed dispute consultation requests at the World Trade Organization on Sept. 25 regarding China's decision to open an investigation on certain dairy products from the EU. The European Commission announced the move earlier this week, saying the probe marks a pattern of China opening trade defense measures "based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence" (see 2409230014).
Indonesia launched a safeguard investigation on Sept. 18 covering tarpaulins made from plastics and synthetic fibers, the World Trade Organization announced. The Indonesian Safeguards Committee told WTO about the investigation on Sept. 23, and said interested parties should submit written comments to the safeguards committee within 15 days from the start of the proceeding.
The World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body on Sept. 23 agreed to establish a dispute panel in China's challenge of certain U.S. tax credits for electric vehicles under the Inflation Reduction Act. Ahead of the Sept. 23 meeting of the DSB, China submitted a second request for a dispute settlement panel to assess whether the tax credits violate WTO rules.
The European Commission on Sept. 23 filed a consultation request at the World Trade Organization on China's decision to open a countervailing duty investigation on certain dairy products from the EU, the commission announced. The challenge marks the first time the EU has contested a decision to initiate an investigation, the EU said.
Bilateral talks between the African Group and the Cairns Group, a coalition of 19 nations that export agricultural goods, on farm talks have moved towards the presentation of joint proposals "in the near future," the World Trade Organization announced. Reporting on the first agriculture negotiation meeting since the WTO summer break, on Sept. 18, the WTO said bilateral meetings between the groups have been "conducted on a weekly basis" since the body returned after the summer.
World Trade Organization members involved in talks on combating plastics pollution met Sept. 18 to try to secure "meaningful outcomes" in curbing plastics pollution at the 14th Ministerial Conference, including through the creation of "domestic inventories of trade-related plastic measures."