Recent World Trade Organization Notices
The World Trade Organization recently posted the following notices:
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- Brazil files steel duty complaint against U.S. Brazil on Nov. 11 filed a World Trade Organization complaint and requested dispute consultations over U.S. countervailing duties on imports of Brazilian cold- and hot-rolled steel flat products, the WTO said (here). Brazil alleged U.S. measures are inconsistent with several procedural and substantive provisions under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, the WTO said. More information will be available "within the next few days" in document WT/DS514/1, the WTO said.
- DSB forms panel to review U.S.-EU case against alleged Chinese export restraints. The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on Nov. 8 formed a panel to review whether China unfairly constrained exports of antimony, chromium, cobalt, copper, graphite, indium, lead, magnesia, talc, tantalum and tin (see 1610130027), according to a WTO announcement (here).The U.S. and China held unsuccessful consultations at the WTO on the matter Sept. 8-9.
- G-20 still issuing high numbers of trade restrictions. The number of trade-restrictive measures leveled by Group of 20 countries remains high, but slightly decreased from the previous period, according to the WTO's 16th monitoring report on G-20 trade measures, the WTO said (here). Representing a return to recent trend levels, G-20 members implemented 85 new trade-restricting measures from mid-May to mid-October, which is down from the 21-per-month average imposed during the previous reporting period of mid-October 2015 to mid-May 2016, the WTO said. The share of global trade affected by such restrictions has increased as trade-restrictive measures since the financial crisis have steadily accumulated, the WTO said.
- Groups launch global trade alert system. The WTO, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the International Trade Centre on Nov. 8 launched a new online alert system designed to help government agencies and small and medium-sized enterprises track the latest regulatory information for international trade, the WTO said (here). Officials launched the ePing system during a special meeting of the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Committee, the WTO said. The new system allows access to WTO members' notifications of technical barriers and sanitary/phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and provides for dialogue among the public and private sector in addressing potential trade problems at an early stage, the WTO said. ePing will help avoid disruptions caused by the more than 3,500 technical barrier to trade and SPS notifications to the WTO proposing new measures, the WTO said.
- Azevedo presents UN head with Ministerial Decision on Export Competition. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo on Nov. 10 in New York presented UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the December 2015 WTO Ministerial Decision on Export Competition, which contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of "Zero Hunger, the WTO said (here). The Ministerial Decision eliminates agricultural export subsidies and equivalent measures. "The decision will help to level the playing field in agriculture markets, to the benefit of farmers and exporters in developing and least-developed countries," the WTO said. "It will help limit potential similar distorting effects associated with export credits and exporting state trading enterprises."