GATT and WTO trade rounds

Sources
a)The GATT years: from Havana to Marrakesh, World Trade Organiation
!)Timeline: World Trade Organiation " A chronology of key events, ##$ %e&s
c)#rakman'Garretsen'Marre&i(k'Witteloostui(n, Nations and Firms in the Global Economy, $ha)ter *+: Trade and $a)ital
,estriction
%ame Start -uration $ountries Su!(ects covered Achievements
Geneva April 1947 7 months 23 Tariffs
Signing of GATT, 45,000 tariff concessions affecting $10
billion of trae
Annecy April 1949 5 months 13 Tariffs !o"ntries e#change some 5,000 tariff concessions
Tor.uay
September
1950
$ months 3$ Tariffs
!o"ntries e#change some $,700 tariff concessions,
c"tting the 194$ tariff le%els b& 25'
Geneva
//
(an"ar&
195)
5 months 2)
Tariffs,
amission of (apan
$2*5 billion in tariff re"ctions
-illon
September
19)0
11
months
2) Tariffs Tariff concessions +orth $4*9 billion of +orl trae
0ennedy ,a& 19)4
37
months
)2
Tariffs,
Anti-"mping
Tariff concessions +orth $40 billion of +orl trae
Tokyo
September
1973
74
months
102
Tariffs, non-tariff meas"res,
.frame+or/. agreements
Tariff re"ctions +orth more than $300 billion ollars
achie%e
1ruguay
September
19$)
$7
months
123
Tariffs, non-tariff meas"res,
r"les, ser%ices, intellect"al
propert&, isp"te settlement,
te#tiles, agric"lt"re, creation
of 0T1, etc
The ro"n le to the creation of 0T1, an e#tene the
range of trae negotiations, leaing to ma2or re"ctions
in tariffs 3abo"t 40'4 an agric"lt"ral s"bsiies, an
agreement to allo+ f"ll access for te2tiles an clothing
from e%eloping co"ntries, an an e#tension of
intellect"al propert& rights*
-oha
5o%ember
2001
6 141
Tariffs, non-tariff meas"res,
agric"lt"re, labor stanars,
en%ironment, competition,
in%estment, transparenc&,
patents etc
The ro"n is not &et concl"e*
World Trade Organiation 34nglish)
3$hinese)
Organiaci5n Mundial del $omercio3S)anish)
Organisation mondiale du commerce36rench)
!"rrent members of the 0T1 3in green4
6ormation 1 (an"ar& 1995
Head.uarters Gene%a, S+it7erlan
Mem!ershi) 151 member states
Official languages 8nglish, 9rench, Spanish
:1;
-irector'General <ascal =am&
#udget
175 million S+iss francs 3appro#* 141 million
>S?4
Staff )25
:2;
We!site +++*+to*int

:eit; 9ormal Str"ct"re
Accoring to 0T1 r"les, all 0T1 members ma& participate in all co"ncils,
committees, etc*, e#cept Appellate @o&, ?isp"te Settlement panels, an pl"rilateral
committees*
:citation needed;
Highest level: Ministerial $onference
The topmost ecision-ma/ing bo& of the 0T1 is the ,inisterial !onference, +hich
has to meet at least e%er& t+o &ears* At brings together all members of the 0T1, all
of +hich are co"ntries or separate c"stoms territories* The ,inisterial !onference
can ma/e ecisions on all matters "ner an& of the m"ltilateral trae agreements
:1;*
Second level: General $ouncil
The ail& +or/ of the ministerial conference is hanle b& three gro"psB the General
!o"ncil, the ?isp"te Settlement @o&, an the Trae <olic& Ce%ie+ @o&* All three
consist of the same membership - representati%es of all 0T1 members - b"t each
meets "ner ifferent r"les :2;*
1* The General !o"ncil, the 0T1Ds highest-le%el ecision-ma/ing bo& in Gene%a,
meets reg"larl& to carr& o"t the f"nctions of the 0T1* At has representati%es 3"s"all&
ambassaors or eE"i%alent4 from all member go%ernments an has the a"thorit& to
act on behalf of the ministerial conference +hich onl& meets abo"t e%er& t+o &ears*
The co"ncil acts on behalf on the ,inisterial !o"ncil on all of the 0T1 affairs* The
c"rrent chairman is Amb* ,"hama 5oor Facob 3,ala&sia4 :3;*
2* The ?isp"te Settlement @o& is mae "p of all member go%ernments, "s"all&
represente b& ambassaors or eE"i%alent* The c"rrent chairperson is G*8* ,r*
@r"ce Gosper 3A"stralia4*
3* The 0T1 General !o"ncil meets as the Trae <olic& Ce%ie+ @o& 3T<C@4 to
"nerta/e trae polic& re%ie+s of ,embers "ner the TC<,* The T<C@ is th"s
open to all 0T1 ,embers* The c"rrent chairperson is G*8* ,s* !la"ia >ribe
3!olombia4*
:citation needed;
Third level: $ouncils for Trade
The !o"ncils for Trae +or/ "ner the General !o"ncil* There are three co"ncils -
!o"ncil for Trae in Goos, !o"ncil for Trae-Celate Aspects of Antellect"al
<ropert& Cights, an !o"ncil for Trae in Ser%ices - each co"ncil +or/s in ifferent
fiels* Apart from these three co"ncils, si# other boies report to the General !o"ncil
reporting on iss"es s"ch as trae an e%elopment, the en%ironment, regional
traing arrangements an aministrati%e iss"es*
:citation needed;
1* !o"ncil for Trae in Goos- The +or/ings of the General Agreement on Tariffs
an Trae 3GATT4 +hich co%ers international trae in goos, are the responsibilit& of
the !o"ncil for Trae in Goos* At is mae "p of representati%es from all 0T1
member co"ntries* The c"rrent chairperson, as of 2007-02-13, is Amb* Fono%
9reeric/ Agah 35igeria4*:4;
2* !o"ncil for Trae-Celate Aspects of Antellect"al <ropert& Cights- Anformation on
intellect"al propert& in the 0T1, ne+s an official recors of the acti%ities of the
TCA<S !o"ncil, an etails of the 0T1Ds +or/ +ith other international organi7ations
in the fiel
:3$;
*
3* !o"ncil for Trae in Ser%ices- The !o"ncil for Trae in Ser%ices operates "ner
the g"iance of the General !o"ncil an is responsible for o%erseeing the
f"nctioning of the General Agreement on Trae in Ser%ices 3GATS4* At is open to all
0T1 members, an can create s"bsiiar& boies as reE"ire*
:citation needed;
6ourth level: Su!sidiary #odies
There are s"bsiiar& boies "ner each of the three co"ncils*
:citation needed;
1* The Goos !o"ncil- s"bsiiar& "ner the !o"ncil for Trae in Goos* At has 11
committees consisting of all member co"ntries, ealing +ith specific s"b2ects s"ch
as agric"lt"re, mar/et access, s"bsiies, anti-"mping meas"res an so on*
!ommittees incl"e the follo+ingB
:citation needed;
Anformation Technolog& Agreement 3ATA4 !ommittee
State Traing 8nterprises
Te#tiles ,onitoring @o& - !onsists of a chairman an 10 members acting "ner it*
Gro"ps ealing +ith notifications - process b& +hich go%ernments inform the 0T1
abo"t ne+ policies an meas"res in their co"ntries*
2* The Ser%ices !o"ncil- s"bsiiar& "ner the !o"ncil for Trae in Ser%ices +hich
eals +ith financial ser%ices, omestic reg"lations an other specific commitments*
:citation needed;
3* ?isp"te Settlement panels an Appellate @o&- s"bsiiar& "ner the ?isp"te
Settlement @o& to resol%e isp"tes an the Appellate @o& to eal +ith appeals*
:citation needed;
Other committees
:citation needed;
!ommittees on
Trae an 8n%ironment
Trae an ?e%elopment 3S"bcommittee on =east-?e%elope !o"ntries4
Cegional Trae Agreements
@alance of <a&ments Cestrictions
@"get, 9inance an Aministration
0or/ing parties on
Accession
0or/ing gro"ps on
Trae, ebt an finance
Trae an technolog& transfer
The 0T1 operates on a one country, one vote s&stem, b"t act"al %otes ha%e ne%er
been ta/en* ?ecisionma/ing is generall& b& consens"s, an relati%e mar/et si7e is
the primar& so"rce of bargaining po+er* The a%antage of consens"s ecision-
ma/ing is that it enco"rages efforts to fin the most +iel& acceptable ecision*
,ain isa%antages incl"e large time reE"irements an man& ro"ns of negotiation
to e%elop a consens"s ecision, an the tenenc& for final agreements to "se
ambig"o"s lang"age on contentio"s points that ma/es f"t"re interpretation of
treaties iffic"lt*
:citation needed;
An realit&, 0T1 negotiations procee not b& consens"s of all members, b"t b& a
process of informal negotiations bet+een small gro"ps of co"ntries* S"ch
negotiations are often calle .Green Coom. negotiations 3after the colo"r of the
0T1 ?irector-GeneralHs 1ffice in Gene%a4, or .,ini-,inisterials., +hen the& occ"r in
other co"ntries* These processes ha%e been reg"larl& critici7e b& man& of the
0T1Hs e%eloping co"ntr& members +hich are often totall& e#cl"e from the
negotiations*
:citation needed;

Cichar Steinberg 320024 arg"es that altho"gh the 0T1Hs consens"s go%ernance
moel pro%ies la+-base initial bargaining, traing ro"ns close thro"gh po+er-
base bargaining fa%o"ring 8"rope an the >nite States, an ma& not lea to
<areto impro%ement*
:citation needed;:39;
7rinci)les of the trading system
The 0T1 establishes a frame+or/ for trae policiesI it oes not efine or specif&
o"tcomes* That is, it is concerne +ith setting the r"les of the trae polic& games*
:33;

9i%e principles are of partic"lar importance in "nerstaning both the pre-1994
GATT an the 0T1B
1* %on'-iscrimination* At has t+o ma2or componentsB the most fa%o"re nation
3,954 r"le, an the national treatment polic&* @oth are embee in the main
0T1 r"les on goos, ser%ices, an intellect"al propert&, b"t their precise
scope an nat"re iffer across these areas* The ,95 r"le reE"ires that a
0T1 member m"st appl& the same conitions on all trae +ith other 0T1
members, i* e* a 0T1 member has to grant the most fa%orable conitions
"ner +hich it allo+s trae in a certain pro"ct t&pe to all other 0T1
members*
:33;
.Grant someone a special fa%o"r an &o" ha%e to o the same
for all other 0T1 members*.
:34;
5ational treatment means that importe an
locall&-pro"ce goos sho"l be treate eE"all& 3at least after the foreign
goos ha%e entere the mar/et4 an +as intro"ce to tac/le non-tariff
barriers to trae 3e* g* technical stanars, sec"rit& stanars et al*
iscriminating against importe goos4*
:33;

2* ,eci)rocity* At reflects both a esire to limit the scope of free-riing that ma&
arise beca"se of the ,95 r"le, an a esire to obtain better access to foreign
mar/ets* A relate point is that for a nation to negotiate, it is necessar& that
the gain from oing so be greater than the gain a%ailable from "nilateral
liberali7ationI reciprocal concessions inten to ens"re that s"ch gains +ill
materiali7e*
:35;

3* #inding and enforcea!le commitments* The tariff commitments mae b&
0T1 members in a m"ltilateral trae negotiation an on accession are
en"merate in a sche"les 3list4 of concessions* These sche"les establish
.ceiling binings.B a co"ntr& can change its binings, b"t onl& after negotiating
+ith its traing partners, +hich co"l mean compensating them for loss of
trae* Af satisfaction is not obtaine, the complaining co"ntr& ma& in%o/e the
0T1 isp"te settlement proce"res*
:3);

4* Trans)arency* The 0T1 members are reE"ire to p"blish their trae
reg"lations, to maintain instit"tions allo+ing for the re%ie+ of aministrati%e
ecisions affecting trae, to respon to reE"ests for information b& other
members, an to notif& changes in trae policies to the 0T1* These internal
transparenc& reE"irements are s"pplemente an facilitate b& perioic
co"ntr&-specific reports 3trae polic& re%ie+s4 thro"gh the Trae <olic&
Ce%ie+ ,echanism 3T<C,4*
:37;
The 0T1 s&stem tries also to impro%e
preictabilit& an stabilit&, isco"raging the "se of E"otas an other meas"res
"se to set limits on E"antities of imports*
:34;

Safety valves* An specific circ"mstances, go%ernments are able to restrict trae*
There are three t&pes of pro%isions in this irectionB articles allo+ing for the "se of
trae meas"res to attain noneconomical ob2ecti%esI articles aime at ens"ring .fair
competition.I an pro%isions permitting inter%ention in trae for economic reasons*
:37;