On Tuesday 23 January, the trade ministers of the European Union countries set out their priorities for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization, to be held in Abu Dhabi at the end of February. The primary objective is to make progress on the reform of the organisation, which the EU had already insisted on at the previous ministerial meeting in Geneva in June 2022. More broadly, Belgium’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Hadja Lahbib, stressed the importance of preparing well for MC13, at a time when “multilateralism is under pressure and even being called into question”.
Reforming the WTO, and in particular its dispute settlement system, is essential to legitimising the institution in the first place, said European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. Achieving this is not, however, yet within reach. Although significant work has been carried out on the reform of the organisation, with written proposals from several members, the finishing line is still a long way off. “It will take time”, said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Monday 22 January during a dialogue involving civil society organisations, alongside Valdis Dombrovskis. For her, movement in a positive direction and identifying solutions for certain aspects of the issue would already represent a “big contribution”.
Questioned by EUROPE, the European Commissioner for Trade reiterated that the EU “is not the only player” and that all 164 members must agree on the reform of the WTO.
The same applies to the moratorium on e-commerce, which the EU would like to see renewed, but which is not unanimously supported. The agreement abolishes all customs duties on electronic transmissions, and a decision on its renewal is due this year.
“At MC13 I think it may just be an opportunity for members to present how far they’ve gone. A lot more work will be needed”, said Ms Okonjo-Iweala, who does not expect a decision before the end of 2024.
For Valdis Dombrovskis, it is clear that not renewing the moratorium would be a step backwards.
The EU Trade Ministers also insisted on two other subjects which they consider crucial for MC13: the second part of the agreement on fisheries subsidies (see EUROPE 13203/22) and the launch of a work programme on industrial subsidies. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)