Since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round in 1994 and the creation of the WTO in 1995, the functioning of the … few important initiatives on transparency and decision-making, most contributions on the functioning of the WTO have been … made by external observers of the WTO. However, over the past two years, an increasing number of Members have showed …

transition to the WTO. In particular, I examine the WTO Agreement on Safeguards that has replaced the GATT escape clause (Article … XIX), and the Dispute Settlement Process (DSP) that resembles a court of law under the WTO. Using this framework, I … that trade agreements under the WTO lead to fewer trade skirmishes but this effect does not necessarily result in higher …

. The paper assembles detailed information about the IP provisions contained in active RTAs notified to the WTO. The goal … was to expand beyond the more commonly studied RTAs, to review the full array of agreements notified to the WTO and thus …

There are essentially two types of plurilateral trade agreements (PAs) among WTO Members, an exclusive and an open … discussions. This article takes a sceptical view, since any such PA would need to be agreed by consensus among all 160-odd WTO … treaty frameworks, as "WTO-extra" understandings. …

Decision making in the WTO has become ever more difficult as the number of members increases and the range of issues … under certain conditions, as it would: i) allow for the emergence of a more progressive and responsive WTO agenda; ii) blunt …-based negotiations on trade rules, and perhaps, sectoral market access agreements. -- GATT/WTO ; negotiations ; decision-making …

We consider the purpose and design of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its predecessor, GATT. We review recent … developments in the relevant theoretical and empirical literature. And we describe the GATT/WTO architecture and briefly trace its … central features of the design and practice of the GATT/WTO, and we identify key unresolved issues. …

overlap with obligations assumed by WTO Members under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). About 60 per cent of … potential counterparts under the GATS. At the same time, since most WTO Members have not listed relevant exemptions from the … provisions, this article discusses options on how WTO Members could proceed. -- Trade in services ; GATS ; investment treaties …