Indonesia has requested WTO dispute consultations with the European Union regarding measures adopted by the EU and its member states in the renewable energy sector relating to biofuels. The request was circulated to WTO members on 16 December. Indonesia claims that the challenged measures affecting the access of Indonesian palm [...]
WTO members meeting as the General Council agreed on 10 December to extend two existing moratoriums related to customs duties on electronic transmissions and the initiation of “non-violation” complaints under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). They also approved the WTO’s budget for 2020. Members agreed [...]
At the 4-6 December meeting of the Negotiating Group on Rules, WTO members agreed on a work programme for intensifying negotiations on fisheries subsidies in January-May 2020, with the aim of coming to an agreement by June at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12). Members also received working papers and new [...]
Remarks by DG Azevêdo Thank you Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. We are here to take stock of the recent major developments in the international trading system over the past 12 months. These developments are presented in my Annual Report, which was circulated to members on 27 November [...]
At a meeting of the full WTO membership on 6 December, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo emphasised that for dispute settlement as for rule-making, the choices members make in the coming months would be consequential for the future of the multilateral trading system. He also welcomed a compromise reached in the Committee [...]
Invited to attend a meeting of the Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation on 4 December 2019, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo stressed the importance of transparent and predictable regulations to facilitate services trade, saying that “competitive, dynamic services markets cannot thrive in the absence of well-functioning regulatory frameworks”. DG Azevêdo urged [...]
Kazakhstan’s application to start negotiating its accession to the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) was announced at a meeting of the Committee on Government Procurement on 3 December 2019. The Committee’s Chair, Carlos Vanderloo of Canada, welcomed Kazakhstan’s application for accession, calling it a “very positive step”. The Committee also [...]
The fourth Symposium on Natural Disasters and Trade held at the WTO on 29 November 2019 highlighted ways of helping economies respond to and recover from natural disasters and build resilience against future events. Well-functioning and open markets were cited as crucial. The role of WTO agreements and decisions in [...]
The European Union has requested WTO dispute consultations with Indonesia regarding alleged export restrictions and local content subsidies adopted by Indonesia with respect to certain raw materials. The request was circulated to WTO members on 27 November. The EU claims that Indonesia’s export prohibitions, domestic processing and marketing requirements, and [...]
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo met with the 2019 WTO Young Professionals on 25 November to thank them for their good work and contributions as they approach the end of their year at the organization. The participants in this year’s group said the values and skills learned and consolidated at the WTO [...]