Consigning the WTO to “benign neglect”, Dombrovskis said, would be to lose one of the most important tools to advance open and fair trade. Washington continues the policy of former president Donald Trump of blocking appointments to the WTO’s appellate body, meaning it cannot effectively intervene to settle global trade disputes. The WTO could not address these challenges in its current form, the commissioner said, insisting the reform process needed to start at the WTO’s ministerial conference on Nov. 30-Dec. 3. The EU stood ready, Dombrovskis said, to work with the United States to reach agreements on fishery subsidies, health, agriculture and sustainability and to start a serious discussion on institutional reform. “I believe that with strong engagement and joint leadership, we can really reinvigorate the WTO.”(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by David Evans)

Source: MetroXpress September 27, 2021 12:45 UTC