WTO General Council Chair Lays Out Dispute Settlement Reform Progress
The chair of the World Trade Organization General Council, Norway's Petter Olberg, detailed during the Dec. 16-17 general council meeting the "significant progress" made on WTO dispute settlement reform talks, though he encouraged members to find a way forward on the form an appeal or review mechanism should take.
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Olberg said that after around 170 hours of plenary technical meetings, members have drafted a negotiating document on appeal changes that would narrow claims that are reviewable on appeal, clarify adjudicators' roles in reviewing a panel's assessment of facts, improve the interim review stage and reinforce adherence to procedural time frames. Regarding costs and funding, members also have drawn up a first draft table "capturing the interests and concerns of members," the WTO said.
The chair also noted members' "near-final draft chapter addressing capacity building and technical assistance" regarding accessibility to dispute settlement. The text on accessibility recognizes developing nations' needs, tells the WTO Secretariat to undertake additional tailored activities, establishes a dialogue between members and the Secretariat, and includes a new review and reporting mechanism to the Dispute Settlement Body, Olberg said.
The chair will hold consultations with "interested delegations" in early 2025 to further advance the talks.
Members at the General Council meeting also discussed the state of the fisheries subsidies deal, which is 23 members short of the two-thirds needed for ratification. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said she expects 10 more members to formally accept the deal soon, bringing the total number of nations who have accepted the deal to 98. On the second wave of fisheries subsidies talks, India submitted four documents laying out its concerns.