SEE
ALSO:
press
releases
WTO
news
Mike
Moore's speeches
Renato
Ruggiero's speeches, 1995-99
|
"It
is a resounding vote of confidence in the WTO's dispute
settlement system that the 136 member governments, both
large and small, have so often sought solutions to
difficult problems through our organization," said
WTO Director General Mike Moore."It
is the backbone of the multilateral trading system,
created by governments themselves in the conviction that
a solid mechanism of dispute settlement ensures that
carefully negotiated trade rules are respected and
enforced. The system is designed to uphold international
trading rules, thereby also giving a better deal to
workers and consumers.
"The
dispute settlement mechanism, moreover, is unique in the
international architecture. WTO Member Governments bind
themselves to the outcome from panels and, if necessary,
the Appellate Body. That's why the WTO has attracted so
much attention from all sorts of groups who wish to use
this mechanism to advance their interests.
"Settlement,
of course, is the key principle here. During the period
1995-1999, for example, 77 disputes were resolved of
which 41 were resolved without going to adjudication.
Without this system, it would be virtually impossible to
maintain the delicate balance of international rights and
obligations. Disputes would drag on much longer, have a
destabilizing effect on international trade, which, in
turn, could poison international relations in general.
The system's emphasis on negotiating a settlement could
serve the same governments equally well in other areas of
international relations."
Low-income
nations are enjoying the benefits of the dispute
settlement system, which accords the smallest members the
same weight as the bigger trading nations. "Although
no one can claim that the WTO’s dispute settlement
system compensates for unequal economic power
distribution in the world, it must be emphasized that
this system gives small countries a fair chance, they
otherwise would not have, to defend their rights,"
said Mr Moore. Developing countries as a group have
registered 50 of the 194 disputes, with India, Brazil,
Mexico and Thailand playing the most active roles. The
United States and the European Commission have registered
the most complaints at the WTO, with 60 and 50
respectively, and are also the most frequently cited by
other governments as not being in compliance with WTO
rules.
Note
to Editors
[All
figures as at 30 May 2000.]
1.
An overview
of all the 194 disputes is available on the WTO website:
2. A summary of some of the statistics is given below:
Annual
Progress of Disputes Back
to top
1995
25 cases filed
1996 39 cases filed
1997 47 cases filed
1998 44 cases filed
1999 30 cases filed
2000 (1 Jan – 30 May) 9 cases filed
Breakdown
of complaints Back
to top
Disputes
involving
|
as
Complainant
|
as
Respondent
|
with
Developing Countries
|
|
|
|
|
US/EC/Japan
as
Complainant
|
US/EC/Japan
as
Respondent
|
United
States
|
60
|
42
|
22
|
15
|
EC
|
50
|
28
|
23
|
11
|
Japan
|
8
|
12
|
3
|
0
|
Developing
Countries
|
50
|
67
|
\
|
\
|
Some
WTO agreements cited in the disputes Back
to top
SPS/TBT
|
Agriculture
|
Textiles
|
TRIMS
|
TRIPS
|
GATS
|
26
|
25
|
13
|
15
|
21
|
9
|
|
|
