EU Proposes Reforms to WTO Appellate Body
The EU and 11 other countries plan to present a proposal to reform the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body, the European Commission said in a news release. The U.S. has prevented appointments to the appellate body in recent years, leaving…
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it without the required minimum of judges. "The appellate body function of the WTO dispute settlement system is moving towards a cliff's edge," EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom said. "Without this core function of the WTO, the world would lose a system that has ensured stability in global trade for decades. Now, together with a broad coalition of WTO members, we are presenting our most concrete proposals yet for WTO reform. I hope that this will contribute to breaking the current deadlock, and that all WTO members will take responsibility equally, engaging in good faith in the reform process." The proposal from the EU, Australia, Canada, China, Iceland, India, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland is scheduled to be presented at a Dec. 12 WTO meeting, it said. The proposal includes new rules for outgoing appellate judges and efficiency improvements, it said.