Typical misconceptions about the WTO. WTO - what is it? WTO organization: conditions, countries, WTO membership world trade organization

World trade Organization(English World Trade Organization - WTO)- an international economic organization that creates certain conditions for trade on the territory of the participating countries.

History of the WTO

The WTO was established on January 1, 1995 to regulate trade and political relations between member countries. It was formed on the basis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), concluded in 1947. Myself historical fact The creation of the World Trade Organization took place in the city of Marrakesh (Morocco) in April 1994. As a result, the agreement of countries on the creation of uniform rules for trade is called the "Marrakesh Agreement". However, the start date of the organization is January 01, 1995, so this date is recognized as the date of creation. At the date of commencement of the functioning of the WTO, 76 countries were members.

The main goal of creating a world trade organization was to introduce common principles of trade on the world stage for all participating countries. However, each of the participants in this association has the right to introduce additional measures controls for goods entering their markets.

The application of additional conditions for goods is introduced, to a greater extent, if there is a crisis situation in the country in any sphere of production. As well as this principle applied in violation of the WTO partnership principles themselves.

Despite more than twenty years of experience, the WTO has not found favor in a number of countries. The main reason for this was the complexity of the system and structure of the world trade organization itself.

Many enterprises do not see all the possible benefits, and also cannot fully appreciate the global position of the system as a whole. At the same time, for the participating countries, this system provides not only a single market on general rules, but also a considerable list of rights for each participant in trade relations.

To date, the headquarters of the WTO is located in Geneva (country - Switzerland). WTO Director General - Roberto Azevedo (Brazilian economist).

Principles of the World Trade Organization

• No matter how difficult the WTO rules may seem, in fact, they have three basic principles on which the entire single trade system is built - the most favored nation principle (MFN). This principle says that there can be no discrimination between participating countries.

For example, if goods are imported from the Gambia (serial number 125 in the unified register of WTO member countries) and France (serial number 69 in the unified register of WTO member countries) to the territory of Poland (serial number 99 in the unified register of WTO member countries), then the conditions for the import and registration of these goods will be exactly the same;

• The principle of nationalism. The most controversial principle It assumes that the conditions for foreign goods, provided that they are imported by WTO members, will be the same as for goods produced in the territory of the host country. However, the terms of participation in the WTO does not prohibit the introduction of procedures that simplify the system of selling national goods. But such rules, most often, apply only to their own manufacturing enterprises. Thereby confirming that this principle of the world trade organization is not perfect;
• The principle of transparency. This principle is the basis of all legal agreements of WTO members. He says that each participating country must ensure that other participants have full access to its regulatory and legislative framework in terms of trade in its territory. Participating countries are obliged to create information centers where, in an accessible form, each interested party could explain to itself all the aspects of interest to it. legislative regulation trade relations.

In order to join the WTO, the country's leadership needs to go through a very lengthy and scrupulous procedure, on average it lasts about five years. The main requirement for potential participating countries is to bring international trade to the standards prescribed in the agreement signed at the Uruguay Round.

At the first stage, the economy and trade policy of the country as a whole are assessed, after which lengthy negotiations are held on the potential benefits of the parties from joining a new market to common system trade.

In conclusion, if the parties have come to a mutual agreement, the new participating country signs an agreement on the proposed terms of trade, and it is also assigned an individual unchanging number. Also, a new member country is obliged to pay for membership in this organization in accordance with the current tariffs.

In order to withdraw from the WTO, it is necessary to send a written notification to the Director General of the World Trade Organization, in which it is necessary to indicate your desire to leave this association. After six months, membership will be considered terminated. It is worth noting that in the history of the existence of the WTO there was not a single statement with such a petition.

Functions and tasks of the WTO

The main functions of the WTO are as follows:

• monitoring the commercial policies of the participating states;
• control over compliance with all contractual conditions and relations concluded under the auspices of the WTO;
• organization of negotiations between WTO member countries;
• provision of member countries with information aids within the framework of the WTO program;
• maintaining diplomatic relations with other countries and commonwealths for the development of trade relations;
• resolution of disputes.

Based listed functions The WTO can safely say that the main task of the World Trade Organization is to organize the interaction of member countries among themselves, as a result of which there are controversial issues that may appear at the stage of interaction between several parties.

The legal basis of all documents issued by the WTO are sixty agreements that prescribe the three basic principles of the WTO in various forms and cuts.

Structure of the WTO

Since already in 2015 there were 162 participating countries, while the countries are united by one single criterion - trade, while these are countries with different national languages, religions, economic levels, etc.

Therefore, it is so important that all decisions are made purely in order to achieve material well-being, without using any targeting.

In order to make this or that decision, large meetings are held in which all participants try to reach a common denominator. The method of open (or closed) voting is also allowed, by means of determining the majority. But this method has never been used in the history of the WTO.

Members of the Ministerial Conference have the greatest number of rights in the World Trade Organization, while members of this structural unit are required to convene meetings at least once every two years.

1. For the first time this conference was held in 1996 in Singapore (country - Singapore). The agenda of the meeting was the approval of the planned goals and objectives, as well as the confirmation of the basic principles of the WTO.
2. The second time the conference was held in 1998 in Geneva and was dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the GATT (the community on the basis of which the World Trade Organization was organized).
3. The third conference was held in 1999 in Seattle (USA) and was called upon to form new goals to determine a new direction for trade, but these negotiations remained fruitless.

The next link in the structure of the WTO, after the Ministerial Conference, is the General Council, which is engaged in the daily work of formalizing standard documents and solving current problems.

The General Council includes ambassadors and heads of delegations of the participating countries, and the frequency of meetings of this structural unit is several times a year. In turn, the General Council is subject to several substructures, between which the main functions of the WTO are divided:

• Commodity Trade Council. Its main function is to ensure that the principles of the WTO are respected at every level of trade among member countries. Also, the described principles must be observed in all documents concluded under the auspices of the WTO;
• Council for Trade in Services. This control unit monitors compliance with the GATS rules, which were spelled out in the relevant agreement. The Council for Trade in Services is subdivided into two main divisions, the Committee for Trade in Financial Services and Working group for professional services. The staff of this council is expanding every year, and the requirements for WTO member countries are becoming stricter;
• Council on Trade Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. AT this Council WTO emerges greatest controversy and conflicts, since it is intellectual property that becomes the most controversial object. As in the whole world, in the WTO rules the issue of intellectual property rights has not been fully disclosed, and every time new disputes arise.

If we talk about which of the divisions of the World Trade Organization works directly with all applications from member countries and the public, then this is the WTO secretariat. Several hundred people work in this division. The head of the secretariat is the director general

The responsibility of the secretariat is to organize all the technical aspects that accompany important meetings and meetings, as well as the Ministerial Conference.

Technical support is also provided to countries at the development stage. In addition, specialists of this department analyze the world economy, as well as hold conferences with the media.

Russia in the WTO

In 1995 the authorities Russian Federation a formal request was made for the right to join the World Trade Organization.

The most difficult stage was the negotiations with the USA, China and the EU countries. However, after Russia supported the countries of Europe in upholding the positions of the Kyoto Protocol, the United States remained the only dissenting member of the WTO.

Negotiations continued with this country for six years. However, after numerous meetings and reforms in the agricultural sector of the Russian economy, a protocol on Russia's accession to the WTO was signed on November 20, 2006.

The signing took place within the framework of the session of the Asia-Pacific Forum in Hanoi (country - Vietnam).

But despite all the work done since 1995, the official entry of the Russian Federation into the WTO has been constantly postponed due to different reasons, the main of which was - unstable economic situation participating countries, which could become even worse after the accession of the Russian market, the assessment of which was extremely low and unstable.

In June 2009, the Russian Federation took a very unusual decision. In the face of Prime Minister Putin V.V. A statement was made that negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO had been terminated. The initiator of stopping consideration of the issue of joining the Russian Federation was the Russian authorities themselves. However, they also decided to start negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO as part of a single Customs Union Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

By that time, the Georgian authorities had become anti-supporters of Russia.

In October 2011, with the assistance of the Swiss authorities, an agreement was formulated between Russia and Georgia to resolve disputes, which ensured the support of the Russian Federation even from this opponent. The official date of the accession of the Russian Federation to the World Trade Organization is August 22, 2012 with the assignment of a permanent serial number - 156.

Such was not simple story Russia's accession to the WTO.

However, it is impossible not to notice that WTO membership did not help in settling trade sanctions against the Russian Federation.

Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded: January 1, 1995
Created: Based on Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-94)
Number of members: 164
Staff of the Secretariat: about 640 employees
Chapter: Robert Kovalho de Azvevedo

Goals and principles:

The World Trade Organization (WTO), which is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that has been in force since 1947, began its activity on January 1, 1995. The WTO is designed to regulate trade and political relations of the Organization's members on the basis of a package of agreements of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade negotiations (1986-1994). These documents are the legal basis of modern international trade.

The Agreement Establishing the WTO provides for the creation of a permanent forum of member countries to resolve issues affecting their multilateral trade relations and to monitor the implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements and arrangements. The WTO functions in much the same way as the GATT, but oversees a wider range of trade agreements (including trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) and has much greater powers due to improved decision-making and implementation by members organizations. An integral part of the WTO is a unique mechanism for resolving trade disputes.

Since 1947, the discussion of global problems of liberalization and the prospects for the development of world trade has been held within the framework of multilateral trade negotiations (MTP) under the auspices of the GATT. To date, 8 rounds of the ICC have been held, including the Uruguayan one, and the ninth is ongoing. The main goal of the WTO is to further liberalize world trade and ensure fair competition.

Fundamental principles and rules GATT/WTO are:

• mutual granting of the most favored nation treatment (MFN) in trade;
• mutual granting of national treatment (NR) to goods and services of foreign origin;
• regulation of trade mainly by tariff methods;
• refusal to use quantitative and other restrictions;
• transparency of trade policy;
• resolution of trade disputes through consultations and negotiations, etc.

The most important functions WTO are:

• control over the implementation of agreements and arrangements of the package of documents of the Uruguay Round;
• conducting multilateral trade negotiations between interested member countries;
• resolution of trade disputes;
• monitoring the national trade policy of member countries;
• technical assistance to developing states within the competence of the WTO;
• cooperation with international specialized organizations.

General benefits of WTO membership can be summarized as follows:

• obtaining more favorable conditions for access to world markets for goods and services based on the predictability and stability of the development of trade relations with WTO member countries, including the transparency of their foreign economic policy;
• elimination of discrimination in trade by accessing the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, which ensures the protection of national interests in case they are infringed by partners;
• the possibility of realizing their current and strategic trade and economic interests through effective participation in the ICC in the development of new rules for international trade.

World Trade Organization (WTO - English World Trade Organization (WTO))- an organization established in 1995 with the aim of establishing international trade and establishing the regulation of trade and political relations between member states. The WTO began its activities as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), concluded in 1947.

The World Trade Organization WTO is a community of countries that recognize its Charter and adhere to the main agreements governing foreign trade. Currently, the WTO is not a UN body and has mechanisms for resolving trade issues between member states.

The headquarters of the WTO is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization includes both developed and developing countries from all continents. Initially, 77 countries were members of the World Trade Organization. On the this moment it has 162 members (158 internationally recognized states, Taiwan, 2 dependent territories and the European Union).

What are the tasks of the WTO?

The tasks of the WTO include:

• control over the implementation of agreements and agreements of the package of documents of the Uruguay Round;
• conducting multilateral trade negotiations between interested member countries;
• resolution of trade disputes;
• monitoring the national trade policy of member countries;
• cooperation with international specialized organizations.

WTO rules regulate only trade and economic issues. In general, the WTO promotes the ideas of free trade, seeking to remove any protectionist barriers.

What gives the country accession to the WTO?

The main benefits of WTO membership are:

• assistance in creating favorable conditions in the international trade market in the form of developing stable, strong trade relations between the participating countries (including assistance in creating favorable conditions in foreign economic policy);
• elimination of all discrimination, protection of interests, both national and common among WTO member countries, if they are infringed by other partner countries;
• assistance in the implementation of the plans, the emergence of new trade and economic interests.

All countries that have joined the World Trade Organization undertake to comply with the terms of agreements, legal documents, which are united under the single term "Multilateral Trade Agreement" (MTS). In other words, the organization provides a package of agreements (contracts), rules, certain norms that govern all world trade.

From international organizations the status of observers was received by: The World Bank, the UN and the IMF.

Is Russia a member of the WTO?

Negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO lasted 18 years. Since August 22, 2012, she has become a full member of the organization of the Russian Federation. The most difficult were the negotiations with the US and the European Union. Particularly with Washington for a long time unable to resolve access issues Russian market American pork and on the protection of intellectual property rights, with the EU - on export duties on timber, on agriculture, on the conditions of industrial assembly of cars on the territory of the Russian Federation.

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There are different views on the multilateral trading system and on the WTO as a forum where countries can resolve their differences on trade issues. Criticism of the WTO, however, is often based on misconceptions about how the organization works. The most common criticisms will be discussed below.

“The WTO dictates public policy to member governments”

This is not true. The WTO does not tell governments how to conduct their trade policies - the organization is run by its members. WTO agreements are adopted as a result of negotiations between the governments of member countries on the basis of consensus and are ratified by parliaments.

The coercive mechanism can only be used in the event that a member fails to fulfill its obligations, a trade dispute arises and is submitted to the WTO. Then the Dispute Settlement Body, which consists of all member countries, decides on it by approving the conclusions made by the dispute resolution panel or the outcome of the appeal. This decision is narrow and represents a judgment as to whether the government has violated any WTO agreement. If a defaulting member of the WTO does not intend to remedy the situation, it may face retaliation, which will be sanctioned by the WTO.

The Secretariat does not make decisions, but rather provides administrative and technical support to the WTO and its members.

Thus, the WTO does not dictate policy to its members; on the contrary, its participants shape the policy of the organization.

“Membership in the WTO leads to the loss of the sovereignty of the participants”

This is not true. In reality, the WTO is no different from other international organizations that do not involve delegating any part of national sovereignty to supranational international bodies. This is what distinguishes it from integration-type organizations such as the European Union. In addition, the obligations of countries follow from other international agreements of an economic nature, and most of them contain certain restrictions for the signatory governments.

The terms of reference of the WTO are much narrower than the public opinion. So the WTO does not regulate property relations, macroeconomic, structural, antimonopoly policy, policy exchange rate, fiscal relations, investment regime (with the exception of investment in the services sector, as well as investment-related trade measures); it does not interfere in matters of defense and security.

The terms of participation in any trade agreement, including the World Trade Organization, do not prevent the state from implementing its sovereign right to withdraw from the agreement when it deems it necessary.

“Participation in the WTO is a complete liberalization of market access and free trade at any cost”

This is not true. Despite the fact that one of the principles of the WTO system is that countries lower their trade barriers and ensure freer trade, how much these barriers should be lowered, member countries agree with each other. Their position in the negotiations depends on how ready they are for lowering barriers and what they want in return from other members. Thus, when joining the WTO, new members can maintain the necessary level of tariff protection for the goods and services market.

Subsequently, WTO members retain the ability to apply restrictive measures against imports, for example, in cases where such imports cause serious damage to national producers of goods or lead to a disruption in the normal state of the balance of payments. Special provisions are also provided for developing countries. All such restrictions are imposed on the basis of well-defined rules established by the WTO.

Thus, despite the fact that free trade is one of the main goals of the WTO, ensuring fair trade based on the principles of non-discrimination and transparency is given no less importance.

“Prosecution of commercial interests in the WTO becomes a higher priority than development”

Free trade promotes economic growth and supports development. This fact underlies the WTO trading system.

At the same time, whether developing countries sufficiently benefit from the WTO system is a matter of ongoing debate.

The WTO agreements include many important provisions that take into account the interests of developing countries. Thus, they are given a longer period of time to make the changes necessary in accordance with the rules of the WTO. To the least developed countries a special approach is envisaged, including exceptions to many provisions of the agreements. The need to address development issues can also be used to justify activities that are normally prohibited by WTO agreements, such as government subsidies.

“Commercial interests in the WTO take precedence over environmental protection”

This is not true; in many provisions, special attention is paid to the protection of the environment.

The preamble to the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization includes, among other objectives, the optimal use of the world's resources, the promotion of development and the protection of the environment.

In so-called umbrella provisions, such as Article 20 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, countries are allowed to take action to protect human, animal or plant life and health; States also have the ability to conserve dwindling natural resources.

“Members of the WTO can, should and are already taking action to protect endangered species and other areas of environmental protection,” says the report on a decision taken in one of the WTO disputes concerning the import of shrimp and the protection of marine turtles.

Particular attention is paid to the tasks of protecting the environment in the WTO agreements concerning product standards, safety food products, protection of intellectual property rights, etc. Subsidies are allowed to protect the environment.

It is important, however, that measures taken to protect the environment are not unfair and discriminatory. One cannot be lenient with one's own producers and at the same time be strict with foreign goods and services, just as one cannot allow discrimination against various trading partners. This point is stipulated in the provision on the settlement of disputes.

The rules of the WTO system can help countries allocate scarce resources more efficiently. For example, cuts in industrial and agricultural subsidies currently being negotiated would reduce wasteful overproduction and conserve natural resources.

Establishment international norms and rules for the protection of the environment - the task of specialized international agencies and conventions, and not directly the World Trade Organization. However, until now, WTO documents and international agreements on environmental protection have not come into conflict with each other, on the contrary, there are partial coincidences in them (for example, in agreements on import restrictions, etc.)

“Commercial interests take precedence over human health and safety issues”

This is not true. Key points in WTO agreements, such as Article 20 of the GATT, allow governments to take action to protect human, animal or plant life and health. A number of agreements cover the issues of standards for food products, quality and safety of food and other products of animal and plant origin. Their purpose is to protect the rights of governments to ensure the safety of their citizens.

But these actions are regulated in a certain way to prevent the use of safety rules and regulations as an excuse for protecting domestic producers and discriminating against foreign goods and services, “disguised” protectionism. To this end, the measures applied should be based on scientific facts or standards recognized worldwide, such as the Codex Alimentarius, which establishes a recommended level of food safety standards within the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Organization Health (WHO).

Governments, however, may set their own standards, provided they are consistent with international requirements and are not arbitrary or discriminatory.

“The WTO puts people out of work and widens the gap between rich and poor”

This accusation is inaccurate; it oversimplifies the facts. By promoting economic growth, trade is a powerful lever for job creation and poverty reduction. However, almost always the situation is complicated by the fact that a certain period of adaptation is necessary to deal with the problems of job losses. Protectionism as an alternative is not a solution.

The greatest employment gain from free trade is for a country that lowers its own trade barriers. Countries that export to this country also benefit, especially industries that work for export, in which the situation is more stable and wages are higher.

As trade barriers are lowered, previously protected producers face more competition, and their ability to adapt to new conditions becomes vital. Countries with stronger accommodative policies are adjusting better than those that are missing out on new trade and economic opportunities.

The problem of adaptation of producers to existence in the conditions of free trade is solved in the WTO in several ways.

For example, liberalization under the WTO is negotiated, and when countries feel that certain changes to existing safeguards are unacceptable, they may continue to resist demands for the opening of relevant sectors of their markets.

In addition, the liberalization of markets, in accordance with the agreements already reached, is being carried out gradually, which gives countries time for the necessary adaptation. The agreements also allow countries to take restrictive measures against imports that cause particular harm to the domestic economy, but to do so according to strictly defined rules.

Protectionism as an alternative to trade to preserve jobs is ineffective because it raises production costs and encourages low productivity. Thus, according to OECD calculations, the levy of a 30% duty on imports from developing countries would actually reduce the wages of unskilled workers in the importing country by 1% and the wages of skilled workers by 5%, that is, the application of protectionist measures lowers the level of wages in country.

In addition, there are many factors unrelated to the activities of the WTO that affect changes in the level wages. Thus, the fact that in developed countries the gap between the wages of skilled and unskilled workers is widening cannot be explained by trade liberalization. Most of changes in wages in developed countries are explained by technological changes associated with skills, while imports from countries with low level wages, according to the OECD, explains only 10-20% of these changes.

In addition, the analysis of exclusively imported goods distorts the picture. In developed countries 70% economic activity are services where foreign competition affects jobs in a different way: if, for example, a telecommunications company sets up a business in a country, it will in most cases hire local staff.

Finally, while the standard of living of 1.5 billion people is still extremely low, trade liberalization since World War II has helped lift about 3 billion people out of poverty.

“Small countries in the WTO are powerless”

This is not true. In the WTO trading system, everyone adheres to the same rules, which expands the bargaining power of small countries. Thus, under the dispute resolution procedure, developing countries have successfully challenged the actions taken by industrialized countries at the WTO. Outside of this system, these countries would be powerless in their actions against more powerful trading partners.

Both developing and developed countries must make concessions during negotiations. Thus, the Uruguay Round (1986-94) became possible only because industrialized countries agreed to reform trade in textiles and agriculture, both of which were vital to developing countries.

“The WTO is a powerful lobbying tool”

This is not true. This view is associated with a misconception about membership in the World Trade Organization. Business, non-governmental organizations and other lobbying groups do not participate in the work of the WTO, with the exception of special events such as seminars and symposiums and can only influence WTO decisions through their governments.

Conversely, a government can use WTO membership to resist the lobbying of narrow interests by particular groups. During negotiations, it is easier for him to resist the pressure of lobbyists, citing arguments indicating that there is a need to adopt a common package of measures in the interests of the country as a whole.

“Weaker countries have no choice, they are forced to join the WTO”

This is not true. Whether or not to be in the WTO is a voluntary choice of any country, and therefore, at the moment, negotiations are being conducted by both large and small states. The reasons why more and more countries want to join this system are more positive than negative; they are embedded in the key principles of the WTO, such as non-discrimination and transparency. By joining the WTO, even a small country automatically enjoys all the guaranteed benefits of membership.

An alternative to accession would be to negotiate bilateral agreements with each trading partner, but this would require governments more funds, which is a serious problem for smaller countries. In addition, their negotiating power in bilateral negotiations is weaker than they might be in the WTO, where small countries form alliances with other states with which they have common interests.

By joining the WTO, the country assumes obligations, without requiring reciprocity, to reduce customs tariffs, thereby contributing to the process of trade liberalization. The form of these commitments is a list of tariff concessions, consisting of duty rates that a Member State undertakes not to exceed. This requirement is the same for all new members, and when joining countries also agree to its implementation voluntarily.

“The WTO is an undemocratic organization”

This is not true. Decisions in the WTO are usually taken by consensus, which is even more democratic than decisions by majority vote. The adopted agreements are ratified in the parliaments of the participating countries.

While not every country has the same negotiating power, the consensus rule means that each member of the organization has a voice and a decision is made only when there are no dissenters.

Thus, the WTO mechanism provides equal opportunities for the governments of all member countries.

The World Trade Organization (WTO; English World Trade Organization (WTO), French Organization mondiale du commerce (OMC), Spanish Organización Mundial del Comercio) is an international organization established on January 1, 1995 with the aim of liberalizing international trade and regulating trade -political relations of member states. The WTO was formed on the basis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), concluded in 1947 and for almost 50 years actually performed the functions of an international organization, but, nevertheless, was not international organization in a legal sense.

The WTO is responsible for introducing new details, and also monitors compliance by the members of the organization with all agreements signed by most countries of the world and ratified by their parliaments. The WTO builds its activities on the basis of decisions taken in 1986-1994. under the Uruguay Round and earlier GATT arrangements.

Discussing problems and making decisions on global issues liberalization and prospects for further development of world trade are held within the framework of multilateral trade negotiations (rounds). To date, 8 rounds of such negotiations have been held, including the Uruguay one, and in 2001 the ninth one started in Doha, Qatar. The Organization is trying to complete negotiations on the Doha Round, which was launched with a clear focus on meeting the needs of developing countries.

The World Trade Organization (WTO), established in 1995, replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as the only international body dealing with the global rules of trade between states. It is not a specialized agency, but it has mechanisms and practices for cooperation with the United Nations.

The objectives of the WTO are to help streamline the trade process within a system based on certain rules; objective settlement of trade disputes between governments; organization of trade negotiations. These activities are based on 60 WTO agreements - the main legal norms of the policy of international commerce and trade.

The principles on which these agreements are based include non-discrimination (most favored nation and national treatment provisions), freer trade conditions, promotion of competition and additional provisions for the least developed countries. One of the goals of the WTO is to combat protectionism. The task of the WTO is not the achievement of any goals or results, but the establishment general principles international trade.

According to the declaration, the work of the WTO, like the GATT before it, is based on basic principles, including:

Equal rights. All WTO members are required to grant most favored nation trade (MFN) treatment to all other members. The MFN principle means that preferences granted to one of the WTO members automatically apply to all other members of the organization in any case.

Reciprocity. All concessions in easing bilateral trade restrictions should be mutual, eliminating the free rider problem.

Transparency. WTO members should publish their trade rules in full and have authorities responsible for providing information to other WTO members.

Creating Operating Commitments. Commitments on trade tariffs of countries are governed mainly by WTO bodies, and not by the relationship between countries. And in the event of a deterioration in the terms of trade in any country in a particular sector, the disadvantaged party can demand compensation in other sectors.

Safety valves. In some cases, the government is able to impose trade restrictions. The WTO Agreement allows members to take action not only to protect the environment, but also to support public health, animal and plant health.

There are three types of activities in this direction:

Articles allowing trade measures to be used to achieve non-economic goals;

Articles aimed at ensuring "fair competition";. Members must not use environmental protection measures as a means of masking protectionist policies;

Provisions allowing intervention in trade for economic reasons.

Exceptions to the MFN principle also include developing and least developed countries that have preferential treatment in the WTO, regional free trade areas and customs unions.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) was created as a result of many years of negotiations within the framework of the Uruguay Round, which ended in December 1993.

The WTO was formally formed at the Marrakech Conference in April 1994 by the Agreement Establishing the WTO, also known as the Marrakesh Agreement.

In addition to the main text, the document contains 4 appendices:

Appendix 1A:

Multilateral agreements on trade in goods:

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1994, which defines the basis for the regime of trade in goods, the rights and obligations of WTO members in this area.

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1947, which defines the basis for the regime of trade in goods, the rights and obligations of WTO members in this area.

Agreement on Agriculture, which defines the specifics of the regulation of trade in agricultural products and mechanisms for the application of measures state support production and trade in this sector.

Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, which defines the specifics of the regulation of trade in textiles and clothing.

Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Norms, which defines the conditions for the application of sanitary and phytosanitary control measures.

Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which defines the conditions for the application of standards, technical regulations, certification procedures.

Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures, which prohibits the use of a limited range of trade policy measures that may affect foreign investment and be qualified as contrary to GATT Article III (National Treatment) and Article XI (Prohibition of Quantitative Restrictions).

Agreement on the Application of Article VII of GATT 1994 (Customs Valuation of Goods), which defines the rules for assessing the customs value of goods.

A pre-shipment inspection agreement that defines the conditions for conducting pre-shipment inspections.

Rules of Origin Agreement, which defines rules of origin as a set of laws, regulations and rules for determining the country of origin of goods.

Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, which establishes procedures and forms for import licensing.

Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, which defines the conditions and procedures for the application of subsidies and measures aimed at combating subsidies.

Agreement on the application of Article VI of GATT 1994 (anti-dumping), which defines the conditions and procedures for the application of measures to counter dumping.

The safeguards agreement, which defines the conditions and procedures for the application of measures to counter growing imports.

Appendix 1B:

The General Agreement on Trade in Services, which defines the basis of the regime for trade in services, the rights and obligations of WTO members in this area.

Application 1C:

Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, which defines the rights and obligations of WTO members in the field of intellectual property protection.

Application 2:

Understanding regarding the rules and procedures for dispute resolution, which establishes the conditions and procedures for resolving disputes between members of the WTO in connection with their fulfillment of obligations under all WTO agreements.

Application 3:

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism, which defines the terms and conditions for trade policy reviews of WTO members.

Application 4:

Non-binding multilateral trade agreements for all WTO members:

Agreement on trade in civil aircraft, which defines the obligations of the parties to liberalize trade in this sector.

Agreement on Government Procurement, which establishes procedures for the admission of foreign companies to national public procurement systems.

The headquarters of the WTO is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Organizational structure of the WTO.

The official supreme body of the organization is the Ministerial Conference of the WTO, which meets at least once every two years. During the existence of the WTO, eight such conferences were held, almost each of which was accompanied by active protests from the opponents of globalization.

The Ministerial Conference is the highest body of the WTO, consisting of representatives of member states. Meetings of the Ministerial Conference are held in accordance with Article 4 of the "Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization" dated April 15, 1994, once every two years or more often.

To date, 9 conferences have been held:

1. First conference - Singapore (December 1996). 4 working groups were created - on the transparency of the state. procurement; promotion of trade (customs issues), trade and investment; trade and competition. These groups are also known as Singapore issues;

2. Second conference - Geneva (May 1998);

3. Third conference - Seattle (November 1999). A week before the start of the conference, there was no agreement on the list of issues to be discussed, and the growing disagreements between developed and developing countries (agriculture) were also evident. The conference was supposed to be the start of a new round of negotiations, but plans were thwarted by poor organization and street protests. Negotiations broke down and moved to Doha (2001);

4. Fourth Conference - Doha (November 2001). China's accession to the WTO was approved;

5. Fifth conference - Cancun (September 2003). 20 developing countries, led by China, India and Brazil, opposed the demand of developed countries to accept "Singapore issues" and urged them to stop subsidizing national agricultural producers (primarily in the EU and the USA). Negotiations did not lead to success;

6. Sixth Conference - Hong Kong (December 2005). The conference was marked by numerous protests by South Korean farmers. The conference was supposed to complete the Doha round on agricultural subsidies by 2006 Conference agenda: Further reduction of customs duties; Demand to stop direct subsidizing of agriculture; Separate requirement for the EU regarding the ESHP; Singapore issues - a requirement for developed countries to introduce more transparent legislation in the field of investment, competition, government. procurement and trade facilitation;

7. Seventh Conference - Geneva (November 2009). At this conference, ministers took a retrospective review of the work done by the WTO. According to the schedule, the conference did not negotiate the Doha Round of negotiations;

8. Eighth Conference - Geneva (December 2011). In parallel to the plenary session, three working sessions were held on "The Importance of the Multilateral Trading System and the WTO", "Trade and Development" and "The Doha Development Agenda". The conference approved the accession of Russia, Samoa and Montenegro;

9. Ninth conference - Bali (December 2013). Yemen's accession approved.

The organization is headed CEO with the corresponding secretariat subordinate to it. Subordinate to the Council is a special commission on trade policy of the participating countries, designed to monitor their compliance with their obligations under the WTO. In addition to general executive functions, the General Council manages several other commissions created on the basis of agreements concluded under the WTO.

The most important of these are: the Council on Commodity Trade (so-called Council-GATT), the Council on Trade in Services and the Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. In addition, there are many other committees and working groups subordinate to the General Council, designed to provide the highest bodies of the WTO with information on developing countries, budgetary policy, financial and budgetary issues, etc.

In accordance with the adopted “Agreement on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes” arising between WTO member states, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) is responsible for settling disputes. This quasi-judicial institution is designed to impartially and effectively resolve conflicts between the parties. De facto, its functions are performed by the WTO General Council, which makes decisions on the basis of reports of arbitration panels dealing with a particular dispute. Over the years since the founding of the WTO, the DSB has been forced many times to resolve complex, often quite politicized trade problems between influential WTO member states. Many decisions of the DSB over the past years are perceived ambiguously.

The WTO has 159 members, including: 155 internationally recognized UN member states, 1 partially recognized state - the Republic of China (Taiwan), 2 dependent territories - Hong Kong and Macau, and the European Union (EU). To join the WTO, a state must submit a memorandum through which the WTO considers trade and economic policy concerning the organization.

Member States of the World Trade Organization: Australia, Austria, Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bahrain, Belize, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi , Vanuatu, UK, Hungary, Venezuela, Vietnam, Gabon, Haiti, Guyana, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Grenada, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, DRC, European Community, Egypt, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Israel, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Qatar, Kenya, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, China, Colombia, Congo, Republic of Korea, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Kuwait, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mauritania, Madagascar, Macau, Republic of Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Maldives, Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Mozambique, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Norway, UAE, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua — New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Rwanda, Romania, El Salvador, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Suriname, USA, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Fiji, Philippines, Finland, France, Croatia, CAR, Chad, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Estonia, South Africa, Jamaica, Japan.

Observers at the WTO are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vatican, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Comoros, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia.

Countries that are neither members nor observers at the WTO: Abkhazia, Anguilla, Aruba, East Timor, Jersey, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Western Sahara, Cayman Islands, Kiribati, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kosovo, Cook Islands, Curacao, Monaco, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, Palau , San Marino, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Sint Maarten, Somalia, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Turkmenistan, Federated States of Micronesia, Eritrea, South Ossetia, South Sudan.

The heads of the WTO were:

Robert Azeved, since 2013

Pascal Lamy, 2005-2013

Supachai Panitchpakdi, 2002-2005

Mike Moore 1999-2002

Renato Ruggiero, 1995-1999

Peter Sutherland, 1995

The heads of the WTO's predecessor, GATT, were:

Peter Sutherland, 1993-1995

Arthur Dunkel, 1980-1993

Oliver Long, 1968-1980

Eric Wyndham White, 1948-1968