Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs)

This Agreement, negotiated during the Uruguay Round, applies only to measures that affect trade in goods. Recognizing that certain investment measures can have trade-restrictive and distorting effects, it states that no Member shall apply a measure that is prohibited by the provisions of GATT Article III (national treatment) or Article XI (quantitative restrictions).

 

Examples of inconsistent measures, as spelled out in the Annex's Illustrative List, include local content or trade balancing requirements. The Agreement contains transitional arrangements allowing Members to maintain notified TRIMs for a limited time following the entry into force of the WTO (two years in the case of developed country Members, five years for developing country Members, and seven years for least-developed country Members). The Agreement also establishes a Committee on TRIMs to monitor the operation and implementation of these commitments.

 

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Introduction

What are trade-related investment measures?

Understanding the TRIMs Agreement — a historical and technical explanation

 

The Doha mandate: Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) in the 2001 ministerial decision on implementation

Summary of the TRIMs Agreement   

Browse or download the text of the “TRIMs agreement” from the legal texts gateway

Find decisions of WTO bodies concerning the TRIMs Agreement in the Analytical Index — Guide to WTO Law and Practice

Committee on TRIMs

The Committee on TRIMs oversees the implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures and provides a forum for members to raise and address related questions and concerns. The current chair is The current chair is .

Full details

  

  

 
Notification obligations
DISPUTES 
> List of disputes citing the TRIMs agreement