Success of WTO in freeing world trade? (1 Viewer)

tanna

tanna

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I know that it hasn't had much success in freeing up protection for ag. goods but what about for everything else? Has it been successful?
 
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williamc

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tanna said:
I know that it hasn't had much success in freeing up protection for ag. goods but what about for everything else? Has it been successful?
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In short, yes.

The only sort of protectionism that has been on the rise in the last year or so is financial protectionism, especially in Europe. WTO is more concerned with conventional protectionism, which is raising barriers, tariff or non-tariff, on the import of goods, agricultural goods or manufactured goods etc etc.

"This is where activating the WTO’s mechanism of trade policy review is essential. It provides WTO members with a forum for dialogue on how best to use their trade policies to help the recovery, while allowing a thorough scrutiny of trade-distorting measures.

Australia has been a strong advocate of putting this sort of WTO radar to its full use, in particular in the current circumstances, and I count on Simon Crean and his team in Geneva to contribute to this. After the first report that I tabled in January, and which was discussed by members shortly after, a new “radar picture” will be produced by mid-March.

This is why I disagree with those who say that the current economic crisis requires a shift in the WTO’s priorities — that we need to concentrate on fighting protectionism and that therefore we should de-emphasize or even abandon the Doha Round. "

WTO | News - Speech - DG Pascal Lamy - Protectionism cannot be ‘smart’, Lamy tells Australian think-tank
 
tanna

tanna

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williamc said:
In short, yes.

The only sort of protectionism that has been on the rise in the last year or so is financial protectionism, especially in Europe. WTO is more concerned with conventional protectionism, which is raising barriers, tariff or non-tariff, on the import of goods, agricultural goods or manufactured goods etc etc.

"This is where activating the WTO’s mechanism of trade policy review is essential. It provides WTO members with a forum for dialogue on how best to use their trade policies to help the recovery, while allowing a thorough scrutiny of trade-distorting measures.

Australia has been a strong advocate of putting this sort of WTO radar to its full use, in particular in the current circumstances, and I count on Simon Crean and his team in Geneva to contribute to this. After the first report that I tabled in January, and which was discussed by members shortly after, a new “radar picture” will be produced by mid-March.

This is why I disagree with those who say that the current economic crisis requires a shift in the WTO’s priorities — that we need to concentrate on fighting protectionism and that therefore we should de-emphasize or even abandon the Doha Round. "

WTO | News - Speech - DG Pascal Lamy - Protectionism cannot be ‘smart’, Lamy tells Australian think-tank
Click to expand...
Wow, thanks for that :) Perfect answer!
 
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