EU published the proposal of reform of the WTO’s Appellate Body today, for presentation on the General Council meeting on December 12. The proposal is a joint effort with other WTO members including Australia, Canada, China, Iceland, India, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland.
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said in the press release that “the appellate body function of the WTO dispute settlement system is moving towards a cliff’s edge. 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.”
Full press release and the proposal.