Here a new edition of our WTO Corner blog. It’s been a while…!
WTO dispute settlement
EU expected to launch WTO case against Russian Champagne labelling decision
It’s taken the European Commission a few days to gather its thoughts and feedback from the wine industry following Russia’s recent decision to authorise the label ‘Champagne’ only for Russian-produced sparkling wines. But a response will soon be in the offing – and a dispute invoking EU rights under TRIPS …
China at heart of new dispute settlement cases
The number of new legal disputes being filed at the WTO’s dispute settlement system is rising again after a low in 2020, when only five cases were brought to Geneva for legal adjudication. Given the continued stalemate over the Appellate Body, some of these cases could be adjudicated by the …
WTO approves panel for EU-Malaysia palm oil dispute
The WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body today approved Malaysia’s request for the establishment of a panel to resolve the country’s dispute with the European Union, France, and Lithuania regarding their refusal to classify palm oil and oil palm-based biofuels as renewable energy sources.
WTO Corner: competitive neutrality, gender, e-commerce, ITA2, EU disputes
There is clearly more activity at the World Trade Organization than last year – probably even than the year before last. With a new director-general now in office, a date for the next ministerial meeting all set and hope for a more cooperative US administration, this is the time when …
Airbus-Boeing subsidy agreement countdown begins
The countdown to a negotiated transatlantic Airbus-Boeing subsidy solution has begun today. Last Friday US President Joe Biden and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a mutual four-month temporary suspension of tariffs imposed in 2020 following a 16-year old legal dispute at the World Trade Organization: these tariff …
Malaysia launches WTO dispute against EU’s renewable fuels directive
Malaysia has followed its neighbour Indonesia in taking WTO action against the European Union’s renewable fuel directive, in a fresh challenge to the legitimacy of Brussels’ flagship biofuels programme.
WTO Corner: EU vs Indonesia, Hong Kong vs US, Costa Rica vs Panama, services
The only thing that is certain in this beginning of the year at the World Trade Organization – a body that is yet awaiting the nomination of its next director-general – is that many members disagree. So they file legal disputes.
WTO Corner: moving disputes online, World Food Programme purchases, director-general
The General Council has run into a third day of meetings in Geneva today. At the time of writing, WTO members were still meeting. Despite the intensity of the session, there is a sense of failure as the organisation has not been able to agree on anything except the budget …
WTO Corner: Last Appellate Body member farewell, Korea steel case appeal
Last woman standing: Appellate Body member Hong Zhao says good-bye China’s Appellate Body member was the last woman standing until yesterday. Hong Zhao, a Chinese scholar, was long a thorn in the eye of the United States. Since the terms of two colleagues expired in early December last year, Ms …
