• World Trade Organization does not see acceleration in new restrictions on trade

    03/09/2014




     
     

    Monitoring report comes at a time when the growth forecast for the next biennium modest
    World Trade Organization does not see acceleration in new restrictions on trade








     






    He said the latest report of the monitoring unit of the World Trade Organization, the pace of trade restrictions introduced by the Member States of the Organization, did not show a marked increase in recent months. However, the Vice President of the Organization in cash of about two-thirds of the Member States for not submitting the data required or providing incomplete data. The report covers the period between mid-November 2013 and mid-May 2014, is part of the Organization's efforts in monitoring Member States ' compliance with their commitment to the Organization in avoiding trade protectionist measures that appeared clearly in the context of the global financial crisis of 2008. In addition to this document, the monitoring unit conducted a separate study, but related in topic, about the practices of the G20, both super-powers: developed and emerging economies, in the area of trade protection. And include the results of the latest report of the Group of twenty in a document published by the monitoring unit on 11 August last year.
    The monitoring report for the past six months, at a time when business growth forecasts for the next two years are modest, or in other words it will be lower than historical levels, but nevertheless exceed previous forecasts. And current forecasts for the rise in world merchandise trade by 4.7 percent this year and 5.3 percent in 2015. The report was submitted to the trade policy review body in the Organization last Friday by 376,400 Frederick Agha, Deputy Director General, on behalf of Roberto Azevedo, Director-General, has already been circulated to Member States on 18 August. And from a total of 320 commercially connected to measure trade carried out during this period, 159 measure related to trade remedies, rights or split almost equally between the start and end of the remedies worked, noting that the bulk of these measures to combat dumping. And 68 measures related to trade facilitation during the period under review, the majority of which related to the reduction of tariffs on imports, or simplify administrative steps in customs procedures.
    There is also a wide range of measures affecting trade in services, was adopted by several members of the Organization during the period under consideration. According to the report that shows a clear strip can outstrip the rest of the sectors these measures. The report also notes that the general thrust of the measures came apparently in response to punitive measures such as the imposition of countervailing duties, for example, or as a result of specific local contexts and goals relating to purely commercial protection. In a speech last Friday, the Aga commended to improve response rates to request the Organization to provide preliminary information on trade measures, which now stands at 37 per cent of the States members of the world trade body, but the Unit noted that the ability of sports full analytical account grants and other government support measures have been limited by the lack of complete information provided by the delegations.

    Deputy Director-General addressed the Member States clear censure language, saying: ' the document appears on the screen before you now, or in the paper on the table, the record show compliance by Member States in fulfilling their obligations to notify the Organization of what procedural steps were taken, whether punitive or protectionism, incomplete and far from satisfactory, especially in sensitive areas such as agriculture, quantitative restrictions, subsidies, State-owned enterprises, trade in services '. He noted that the issue of transparency is paramount to the methodological importance of trade. AGA urged Member States to provide more information to the monitoring unit. He said that Member States should accept its collective responsibility to enhance transparency and predictability, as requested by the exporters and importers alike, the Member States and importers.

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