The Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle has historically been instrumental in promoting stability and equitable trade conditions. In recent decades there has been a rise in bilateral and regional trade agreements, which deviate from the MFN principle in providing more favourable tariff...

While the European Union (EU) and its Member States (MSs) are members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on their own right and as such have their own SPS Enquiry Points, the EU authority responsible for implementing the notification requirements of the SPS Agreement is centralised in DG...

Die Zollpolitik der Trump-Administration verletzt Zollbindungen der USA in der WTO. Die exorbitanten "reziproken" Zölle verstossen sodann gegen das Prinzip der Meistbegünstigung. Gestützt auf die Rechtslage muss auf einen raschen Deal mit den USA verzichtet werden. Vielmehr sind die in der...

This paper examines the evolution of global merchandise trade, between 2010 and 2022, assessing the share of imports subject to regional trade agreements (RTAs). A key question for us is whether the share of merchandise trade subject to preferences has kept pace with the proliferation in RTAs....

The e-commerce sector is rapidly growing globally with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for 58 per cent of global retail e-commerce in 2022, and India, Singapore, China, and Japan leading this growth. The discussion on e-commerce and trade at the global level began in 1998 with the...

How do import tariffs affect employment? We develop an empirical strategy to identify the effects of tariffs using difference-in-differences, comparing anti-dumping (AD) investigations resulting in dumping tariffs to those not resulting in dumping tariffs. We find that an AD tariff decreases...

This paper analyzes the provisions of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) on industrial designs, and the manner in which the narrow aspects dealt with by the Agreement have been addressed by European Union (EU) legislation. The paper...

Do countries gain more by liberalizing trade together than alone? To answer this question, we study the 2015 Phase II expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), which eliminated tariffs on products covering over 12% of world trade. Market access rose by 4-6%. Nearly half of this...

Using Chinese firm-level trade data combined with global anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations, we uncover a previously overlooked cost of industrial policy under WTO agreements. At every stage of AD/CVD investigation, subsidies significantly raise the probability of...

This paper quantifies the value of timely WTO notifications for Technical Barriers to Trade (TBTs). Using French firm-level export data, I find that advance notice halves the negative impact of TBTs on export participation, by reducing temporary exits and supporting entry, particularly among...

"The WTO Building" provides a fascinating insight into the artwork and architecture of the Centre William Rappard (CWR), home of the World Trade Organization. The book describes the origins and evolution of the CWR, highlighting the many works of art created and donated to adorn the building...

WTO Ministerial Conferences: Key Outcomes contains all the key outcomes from WTO Ministerial Conferences since the organization was established in 1995. Covering twelve Ministerial Conferences held between 1996 and 2022, the key outcomes include Ministerial Decisions and Declarations as well as...

With the use and complexity of industrial policy rising, along with the need for active policies to address climate, food, health, and other emergencies, IMF staff are often expected to provide policy and technical advice on trade-related industrial policies to national authorities. This note...

Objective The present article discusses changes in tariff and non-tariff restrictions applied in World Trade Organization (WTO) countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The employed research tools were a review and analysis of literature along with source statistical data of WTO, UNCTAD,...

While the European Union (EU) and its Member States (MSs) are members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on their own right and as such have their own SPS Enquiry Points, the EU authority responsible for implementing the notification requirements of the SPS Agreement is centralised in DG...

The Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO) allows WTO Members to agree to temporarily waive obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). However, the TRIPS Decision adopted by the 12th WTO Ministerial...

The international trading system is under threat. Many observers have already expressed serious concerns about the impact of Covid, the war in Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan and other natural and man-made disasters and their effects on the international trading system. Some even doubt its...

This paper summarizes the discussions within the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group III (WG III) on the reform of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) regarding the two draft provisions on damages prepared by the UNCITRAL Secretariat as part of the...

Subsidies to the semiconductor industry have been massive ever since chips were created in the 1950s. Yet, semiconductor subsidies have never been challenged in the GATT or WTO, and rarely in bilateral commercial relations. Reasons suggest a permanent vacuum of subsidy discipline for this and...

The World Trade Organization (WTO) serves as a key forum for negotiating global trade rules, yet it faces significant challenges, particularly in the agricultural negotiations. The collapse of the Doha Round has left critical agricultural issues unresolved. Additionally, the WTO's dispute...