On April 8, 2019, the Trump administration released a list (see Annex) of $11 billion of European goods threatened with tariffs because of the WTO decision finding that “harmful subsidies” support the aircraft manufacturer Airbus. This case had been in litigation at the WTO for 14 years. It began in 2004 when the United States
“Ottawa Group” Forms to Strengthen and Modernize WTO’s Dispute Settlement Mechanism, Transparency, and More
Talks on World Trade Organization (WTO) reform continued this past Thursday, January 24, 2019, in Davos, Switzerland. The “Ottawa Group” of 13 members, chaired by Canada, met on the need to protect and increase the functionality of the organization, focusing particularly on the dispute settlement mechanism and transparency aspects.
The United States has objected
President Makes Decisions on Country Exemptions for Section 232 Tariffs
On April 30th, the President issued two proclamations extending country exemptions for certain U.S. allies on the steel and aluminum tariffs pursuant to Section 232(b) of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
The President extended temporary exemptions for Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, granted a permanent exemption on steel tariffs for South
USTR: China Discriminates Against U.S. Firms Related to Tech Transfer, IP, and Trade Secrets
On August 18, 2017, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched a formal investigation pursuant to Section 301 of the Tariff Act of 1974 on the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The probe sought to determine whether the acts, policies, and practices of the PRC related to technology transfer, intellectual property, trade
Safeguard tariffs imposed by U.S. on solar panels and washing machines are first since 2002 steel import restrictions.
On January 22nd, President Trump imposed new “safeguard” tariffs on imported solar panels and washing machines, which will be in place for the next three years before tapering downward. For the renewable energy industry, this is another major blow from this administration. Solar panels, most of which currently come from China will have
WTO Ministerial Conference Fails to Deliver Meaningful Results
WTO Appellate Body Threatened with Paralysis Due to U.S. Obstructionism
The Trump administration is threatening to undermine the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement system, often considered the crown jewel of the multilateral trade system, by blocking efforts to fill a number of vacancies at the WTO Appellate Body (AB). The AB hears appeals by WTO Members from reports issued by WTO dispute settlement panels. It
April a Tough Month for the U.S. at the WTO
The U.S. was on the losing side in two cases at the World Trade Organization in April.
In the first, a WTO-appointed arbitrator said the U.S. must correct its antidumping and countervailing duty (AD and CVD) calculations on washing machines imported from South Korea by the end of 2017. If not, the U.S. could face
WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement Entered into Force on Feb 22
On February 22, 2017, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) entered into force after receiving four additional ratifications, meeting the required two-thirds acceptance of the agreement from its 164 members.
The TFA “seeks to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods across borders, launches a new phase for trade facilitation reforms