The EU and Uzbekistan concluded their bilateral negotiations on market access to services and goods, which the EU touted as a "significant milestone in Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization," the European Commission announced. The bilateral trade deal includes Uzbekistan's commitments on "maximum tariff rates for import and export of goods" and the nation's concessions in services. The commitments will be "embodied in the future Protocol of Accession of Uzbekistan to the WTO," the commission said. The EU and Uzbekistan also signed the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement on Oct. 24, which boosts bilateral cooperation across trade and investment issues, the commission said.

Vietnam has agreed to join the World Trade Organization's Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), the European Commission said. The MPIA, which has been championed by the EU as an alternative to the defunct Appellate Body, now includes 58 WTO members, including China, Japan and the U.K. The European Commission said the MPIA "supports rules-based trade, and each new adhesion increases the stability of multilateral trading relations."

The Dominican Republic opened a safeguard investigation last month on "sweet and savoury biscuits of all kinds, industrially or mass-produced, and made primarily from wheat," the World Trade Organization said. The Dominican Republic notified the WTO's Committee on Safeguards about the probe on Sept. 25, also telling interested parties to reach out to its Commission for the Regulation of Unfair Trade Practices and Safeguard Measures at info@cdc.gob.do.

The EU will appeal a World Trade Organization panel report in Indonesia's case against the EU's countervailing duties on Indonesian biodiesel to the defunct Appellate Body, the EU reported at the Sept. 26 meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body. The appeal effectively ends the dispute, since there's no Appellate Body division that will be able to hear the case due to vacancies on the Appellate Body.

Egypt launched safeguard investigations on semifinished products of iron or non-alloy steel (billets) and cold rolled coil, galvanized steel and prepainted steel, notifying the World Trade Organization's Committee on Safeguards of the two investigations. Parties interested in submitting their views on the investigations can do so within 30 days of the investigations' notices being published in the Official Gazette.

The World Trade Organization's Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies took effect Sept. 15 during a special General Council meeting after instruments of acceptance were received from Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam and Tonga, the WTO announced. Those acceptances brought the total number over the two-thirds threshold needed for the deal to enter into force (see 2508250013).

Thailand opened a safeguard investigation on polypropylene on Sept. 3, notifying the World Trade Organization's Committee on Safeguards of the investigation this week. Interested parties can submit evidence or views on the proceeding to the nation's Department of Foreign Trade by Sept. 24.

Nepal formally accepted the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on Aug. 18, bringing the number of countries that have accepted the deal to 108. The WTO needs three more countries to accept to get to two-thirds of the membership, the threshold for the agreement to take effect.

A dispute panel at the World Trade Organization on Aug. 22 found that the European Commission violated its WTO commitments in imposing countervailing duties on biodiesel from Indonesia. The panel found that the commission erred in finding that the Indonesian government provides a countervailable subsidy to biodiesel producers via the provision of crude palm oil and in concluding that Indonesian biodiesel imports "cause a threat of material injury to EU biodiesel producers."

China requested dispute consultations at the World Trade Organization regarding Canada's tariff rate quotas on certain steel goods from non-free trade agreement partners, including China, and Canada's surtax on certain steel and aluminum goods that contain China-origin steel or aluminum.