WTO Negotiations

In 2001, a new round of negotiations was launched at the World Trade Negotiations Ministerial Conference in Doha. The talks were dubbed the “Development Round” and were meant to redress some of the existing imbalances within the multilateral trading system. More critical voices caution that we should not judge this round by its cover, but rather wait for its conclusion before making a judgement. In addition to the more traditional negotiating areas, such as liberalizing trade in industrial and agricultural goods and in services, the talks are also touching a number of new issues, such as the relationship between multilateral trade and environment regimes, disciplines on fisheries subsidies and transparency in government procurement.

After six years of more or less active negotiations, the talks are inching forward at a snail's pace while the major powers – both the traditional members as well as recently emerging major developing countries – show little willingness to give way on their entrenched positions. While these delays have frustrated the negotiating parties and many observers, they have also provided breathing space to allow for further analysis of possible negotiating options and their impacts on sustainable development. TKN research aims to provide such analysis for specific issues and assess the options for countries to implement and adjust to the outcomes of the WTO round.



Research