UNDERSTANDING THE WTO:
SETTLING DISPUTES
The panel process
The various stages a dispute can go through in the WTO. At all stages, countries in dispute are encouraged to consult each other in order to settle “out of court”. At all stages, the WTO director-general is available to offer his good offices, to mediate or to help achieve a conciliation.
Note: some specified times are maximums, some are minimums, some binding, some not