European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said on Monday 29 June that he would not stand for election as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The call for applications to replace the Brazilian Roberto Azevêdo as Director-General on 31 August 2020 will close on 8 July (see EUROPE 12496/5). But, according to Mr Hogan, "in recent days, it has become evident that the original timeline for this appointment in early September 2020 will be delayed and therefore create uncertainty in the leadership of the organisation at this critical time".
The EU's leading role in this transition period will therefore be important. Mr Hogan intends to remain at the helm to push European priorities at the WTO and "continue to work constructively with like-minded countries to achieve the objectives of a more effective and efficient WTO". "All members that want free, fair and sustainable trade should do likewise", he added.
In his statement, the Commissioner also took the opportunity to highlight the main European challenges at the WTO: the post-Covid-19 economic recovery, of course, but also US tariff diplomacy, the search for a level playing field with China, and the ambitious timetable, recently confirmed, to conclude the Brexit negotiations by October 2020.
No European application now seems to stand out, but discussions continue behind the scenes (see EUROPE 12502/12, 12497/16, 12501/23). The EU could of course opt to support a candidate from a like-minded country.
To date, five states have nominated candidates: Egypt, Mexico, Moldova, Nigeria and South Korea.
See Mr Hogan's statement: https://bit.ly/31rP3yD (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)