WT/TPR/OV/M/11  
23 April 2014  
(14-2425)  Page: 1/22  
Trade Policy Review Body   
 
  OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE  
INTERNATIONAL TRADING ENVIRONMENT 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
17 February 2014 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr Joakim Reiter (Sweden) 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1. I would like to welcome you to this meeting of the TPRB, which was convened by Airgram 
WTO/AIR/4241 on 30 January 2014. The purpose of this meeting is for Members and Observers to undertake their annual overview of trade developments in the international trading environment which are having an impact on the multilateral trading system in accordance with Paragraph G of 
Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreement. As mentioned in the Airgram, today's discussion is assisted 
by the Director-General's Overview of Developm ents in the International Trading Environment, 
including trade monitoring, which was circulated in document WT/TPR/OV/16 on 31 January 2014 
in English. In accordance with the Rules of Procedure for meetings of the TPRB, the 
Director-General's Report was issued as an unrestricted document.  
2. At the outset, let me briefly recall the purpose of the TPRM according to Annex 3 of the 
Marrakesh Agreement, i.e. to achieve greater tr ansparency in, and understanding of Members' 
trade and trade-related policies and measures. It is not intended to serve as a basis for the enforcement of obligations under WTO Agreements, for dispute-settlement purposes or to impose new policy commitments on Members. These fundamental principles apply fully to the trade 
monitoring exercise. 
3. Secondly, I would like to say a few words on the timing of today's meeting. As many of you 
will know, the TPRB normally meets to discuss the Director-General's Overview at the end of the 
calendar year. However, as a result of intense preparations for Bali, and the Bali Ministerial itself, 
it was decided to post-pone the meeting until today. Thinking back, somewhat involuntarily, to our level of activity and number of late-night meetings in November and early December last year, I 
am sure most of you will agree this was a wise decision.  
4. Thirdly, and before turning the attention to the Director-General's Report before us today, I 
would like to recall the Decision by Ministers at the 8th Ministerial Conference which called on the TPRB to continue and strengthen the monitoring exercise. In particular, Ministers expressed their 
commitment to comply with existing transparency obligations and reporting requirements needed 
for the preparation of the report, and to continue to support and cooperate with the Secretariat in a constructive fashion. It was recognized that this regular monitoring of trade-related 
developments enhances the relevance of the multilateral trading system. Specifically, the periodic 
reports by the Director-General provide Members wi th very useful information to keep track of 
developments and to analyse emerging trends in the area of trade policy. The creation of the 
Trade Monitoring Database last year also provid es added transparency on the implementation of 
trade measures. 
5. With all of this in mind, I would like to draw your attention to the relatively poor response 
rate provided by Members to the Secretariat in pr eparation for this Report. Although some of this 
probably can be explained by the intensity of pr eparations for Bali, the process of providing and WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  verifying information are crucial to guaranteeing and preserving the high quality and accuracy of 
the monitoring reports.  
6. Finally, and before I give the floor to the Director-General, let me highlight the importance 
of the key messages coming out of the Report before us today. In a nutshell, it is a sobering, 
albeit not alarmist, account of some important trade policy developments last year. Certainly, we 
are successfully avoiding any flood of trade restrictive measures. But the new restrictive measures that were taken last year are adding to an alre ady sizeable stock of measures from past years. 
Collectively, we also continue to impose a greate r number of new trade restrictive measures than 
the number of new trade facilitating measures. And we still have been less successful in rolling-back existing restrictions than imposing new ones. None of these trends are good news and 
they undoubtedly will do us no good in stimul ating much-needed growth, development and jobs.  
7. Equally important, I think it is worth recalling that we are still far from out of the woods 
when it comes to protectionist pressures. While many countries have weathered the financial and economic crisis, even regaining substantial losses in output and trade from earlier years, some are 
experiencing double or triple dips. Others seem stuck with sluggish growth. And many are facing a 
worrisome scenario of job-less growth. Persistent high levels of unemployment unfortunately run the risk of providing fertile ground for more inward-oriented policy responses.  
8. Moreover, when we, Members, have been capable of moving our trade negotiating agenda 
forward during the last few years, it has primarily been at the bilateral or regional levels. As this Report highlights, whilst the success in Bali can hopefully provide a beginning of a new era of multilateral rule-making, the gap between the bila teral or regional tracks, on the one hand, and 
the multilateral track, on the other, is now greater than ever.   
9. I am convinced that delegations would like to  share their views and comment on these, and 
other, important findings in the same open and constructive fashion as for the interim Report in 
July 2013.  
10. My intention this morning is to proceed as follows: I shall first give the floor to the 
Director-General to introduce his Report and laun ch our debate. I shall then open the floor for 
comments from delegations, and at the end of the di scussions, I will invite the Director-General to 
offer his concluding remarks.   
11. As usual for our meetings in this body, in the interest of brevity and to give all delegations 
the opportunity to speak, I will seek to ensure that interventions do not exceed seven minutes. If 
any delegation has a longer written statement
1 and wishes to have it incorporated into the minutes 
of this meeting, please send them electronically to the Secretariat. That way we can also use the limited time available to us for a more free-flowing substantive discussion. 
12. I would now like to invite the Director-General to make his introductory remarks. 
Mr Roberto Azevêdo, you have the floor. 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 
13. The Bali Package was an historic achievement, representing a significant boost for trade, 
growth and development around the world. But its true significance lies in what it allows us to do next – to conclude the Doha Development Agenda.  
14. As we prepare to seize this opportunity in 2014, it is timely to look back on the challenges 
which emerged in the international trading environment in 2013 and to consider how Members 
might respond to these changes. 
15. You have all received my Report on developments in the international trading environment 
which was circulated on 31 January 2014. It was posted on the WTO website on the same date, 
according to approved procedures concerning unrestricted documents. 
                                               
1 At the request of the Delegation of Pakistan, a statement by that Delegation is reproduced in the 
Annex. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  16. The Report aims to provide Members with  an assessment of a range of trade and 
trade-related issues and trends during the period from mid-October 2012 to mid-November 2013.  
17. Put simply, it is a health-check on global trade – and I think the diagnosis is cautiously 
positive although there are still reasons to be  concerned about trade restrictive measures. We 
were not in great shape last year – and we have picked up a few bad habits which we need to 
shake off. But overall trade growth is beginning to recover and we have a healthier outlook for 2014.  
18. Before I go into the details on the report, I'd just like to give you some background on its 
preparation.  
19. As in the past, the information on the measures included in this Report has been collected 
from inputs submitted by Members and Observers, bu t also from other official and public sources.  
20. 56 Members have replied to the initial request for information on measures taken during the 
period under review.  
21. All country-specific information reflected in the annexes was then sent for verification to the 
delegation concerned. And if it was not possible to verify the information then this has been noted 
in the annexes. 
22. I would like to thank those delegations who have participated in this important exercise.  
23. Unfortunately, however, the number of Member s that have responded to the request for 
information on their new trade measures still remains small. In fact, it slightly declined from 38% of the Membership in 2012 to 35% in 2013.  
24. Although many were also very helpful in responding to the request for verification of the 
accuracy of the information contained in the annexes, the reply rate was still only around 50% - 
which again is slightly down from last year's report. 
25. The lack of sufficient information has sometimes been a criticism of the monitoring reports – 
particularly when it comes to behind-the-border measures, including general economic support 
measures. 
26. As a first step towards improved transparency, and following the proposal made by several 
Members at last year’s meeting which was welcomed by all delegations, the Report includes a 
comprehensive overview of the WTO notification ob ligations and the status of their implementation 
by Members. 
27. We should now consider what more we can do to improve the transparency of general 
economic support measures and the overall participation in the monitoring of such measures.   
28. Let me now turn to some of the substantive findings of the Report. 
29. The context is all important here. The backdrop  to the review period was one of slow and 
uneven growth in the global economy. We should bear this in mind when considering our findings. 
30. First, in terms of trade in goods, its volume expanded by less than 2.5% in 2013.  
31. Growth projections for 2014 are much impr oved, hovering somewhere between 4% and 
4.5% - but this is still below the historical average since 1990 which is 5.5%.  
32. We are, of course, keeping a close eye on recent developments in the global economy and 
their impact on these projections.  
33. The WTO will be releasing its preliminary trade statistics for 2013 and updated forecasts for 
2014 and 2015 in early April. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  34. Regarding developments in trade measures, there are two specific categories: trade remedy 
actions; and other trade measures. 
35. Counting both categories together, the Report shows that overall 407 new restrictive 
measures were reported du ring the review period.  
36. This is compared to 308 in the same period a year earlier.  
37. These new restrictive measures affect about 1.3% of world merchandise imports – valued at 
240 billion dollars.  
38. Moreover, they add to the existing stock of rest rictions and other impediments to the flow of 
international trade. 
39. Looking specifically at trade remedy actions – which were mostly antidumping and safeguard 
measures – we saw 217 new trade remedy investigations. This covers around 0.2% of world 
imports, and compares to 138 terminations of either investigations or existing duties covering 
around 0.1% of world imports.  
40. As was the case in 2012, therefore, more tr ade remedy actions were initiated than were 
terminated in 2013. 
41. Trade remedy activity is therefore clearly on the rise, and Members should reflect on what 
the causes of that might be. 
42. The number of new other trade measures also increased from 164 in the previous year to 
190 during the period of review.  
43. The majority of such new measures were applie d to imports mostly in the form of import 
tariff increases and customs procedures, covering about 1.1% of world goods imports. 
44. Compared to the trend in new restrictive me asures, the number of new trade-facilitating 
measures reported by Members fell to 107 in 2013, that is well down from 162 a year earlier. These measures cover the equivalent of 1.4% of world merchandise imports – which is 
approximately 258 billion dollars.   
45. These measures, plus the number of terminations of trade remedy actions, represent little 
more than one-third of the total measures covered in the Report.  
46. This paints a somewhat unflattering picture of the ratio of trade restrictive measures to 
facilitation measures.  
47. The Individual Trade Policy Reviews undertaken in 2013 show that some WTO Members are 
making genuine efforts to resist domestic pressures to erect trade barriers.  
48. But we must acknowledge that the stock of current trade restrictions and distortions 
continues to accumulate.  
49. I strongly believe we have a collective responsibility to attend to the risk posed by the 
cumulative effect of new and existing trade restrictions. 
50. The Trade Facilitation Agreement passed in Bali takes on even greater significance against 
this backdrop – and it reinforces the importance of implementing that Agreement in a timely and 
efficient way. 
51. Let me also draw your attention to the issues of regional trade agreements.  
52. During the period covered by this Report, Members notified 23 new RTAs to the WTO, 
bringing the total number in force today to 250.   WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  53. Negotiations on new RTAs are also continuing, in some cases between parties that 
collectively account for very substantial shares of world trade and GDP.  
54. My view is that these initiatives are positive  and are to be welcomed – but they can only 
ever be one part of the wider picture. Agreements  such as these cannot be sufficient on their own 
to ensure gains which can be realized on a global scale. In fact, the proliferation of regulations and 
standards could multiply costs rather than reduce them. 
55. As we all know, the multilateral trading system was never the only option for international 
trade negotiations. It has always coexisted with, and benefitted from, other initiatives. They are 
not mutually exclusive alternatives.  
56. As the RTAs progress and result in deeper liberalization and rules-making, the WTO must 
follow with an update of its own disciplines, so as to ensure a sound foundation for a level playing 
field to all Members.  
57. We must think about how the two processes can move forward together to reduce costs 
effectively and to curb protectionism. 
58. As I have said before, 2014 is a pivotal year for the WTO. It is the year that we will 
implement our first negotiated outcomes – and the year that the Doha Round is put back on track. 
59. So, in closing, I would like to highlight some of the key issues and challenges that we face in 
moving forward with our work in 2014. 
60. First, I have already made reference to the continued accumulation of trade restrictions and 
the new and significant developments in the area of RTAs. Both areas have significant ramifications for the evolution of the multilateral trading system and they merit priority attention 
by policymakers. 
61. Second, I think transparency is another area where we should have a frank discussion. 
Clearly, better transparency of trade and trade-related measures is a key factor affecting all 
aspects of the WTO's core functions.   
62. This Report shows that there is considerable scope for improvement in compliance with the 
many obligatory transparency mechanisms that exist and that underpin the effectiveness of the 
WTO rules generally.  
63. The sharing of information among Members is not just essential for the WTO's surveillance 
activities through the TPRB and the trade monitoring  exercise. It is also essential for: the proper 
implementation of WTO agreements; avoiding unnecessary trade disputes; and completing 
successful negotiations.  
64. Improving this aspect of the functioning of the WTO requires no new mandate; we simply 
have to be better at applying the existing rules. In this sense the Report is a call to action.  
65. Third, the positive outcome of Bali creates an  opportunity for you, the Members, to take 
steps to reinvigorate the multilateral trading system.  
66. Building on the commitment to multilateralism which Ministers showed in Bali, we should 
now consider how to create a better understanding of, and support for, the benefits of multilateral 
trade cooperation. 
67. And in doing so we must always bear in mind the many remaining traditional trade barriers 
and distortions that persist in the trading system, and the need to address them.  
68. So, Mr Chairman, that concludes my health-check.  
69. Thank you all for listening. I look forward to our discussion. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
CANADA 70. I would like to thank the Chair for convening this meeting and the Director-General for his 
comprehensive annual Report. 
71. From our perspective, the Report offers four broad areas worthy of mention. 
72. First, regarding notifications: 
 Both the country-specific and global trade-monitoring activities of the Trade Policy Review 
Body are the basis for helping Members resi st protectionism. Transparency, and the 
resulting spotlight that allows trading partners - and traders - know what's right and not quite right, provides a natural check against bad policy; 
 Notifications also are the basis for corrective action. As the annual Report highlights, when 
notifications are reviewed in regular Committees, this helps to avoid disputes by providing a 
forum to highlight and address Members' specific trade concerns; 
 However, the timeliness and completeness of WTO notifications can still be improved, 
particularly as the percentage of Members providing input to this year's Report declined to 
34%; 
 Canada encourages Members to adhere to their transparency obligations and for the 
Secretariat to continue to explore ways to improve the timeliness and completeness of 
notifications, both to WTO regular bodies and to the TPRB. 
73. Second, Canada is concerned with the increasing number of trade restrictive measures: 
 One obvious area in need of attention is import restrictions, which account for approximately 
80% of new trade-related measures included in the Report (excluding trade remedy 
measures); 
 We are also concerned with a potential rise of non-tariff, behind-the-border barriers, such as 
SPS and TBT measures in agriculture; 
 We agree that it is not for this Report to judge the legitimacy of such measures, particularly 
as many support legitimate policy objectives related to the protection of human health and 
safety; 
 At the same time, we note that not all the SPS and TBT measures are benchmarked to 
international standards, suggesting that non-tariff, behind-the-border barriers could be an interesting area for further discussion and possible negotiation. 
74. Third, the section on Aid for Trade is worth highlighting: 
 The section underscores the importance of trade- related capacity-building to the growth and 
development of recipient countries, in the cont ext of the global expansion of value chains; 
 It rightly notes that aide for trade is not just about customs capacity, or trade policy 
expertise. It identifies as barriers transportation costs and related infrastructure, access to (trade) finance, customs procedures, labour skills, inadequate standards infrastructure and 
the regulatory and business environment as all being relevant; 
 As we have sought to emphasize in various discussions, this reminds us that the 
"development" agenda is not just about special provisions in trade agreements. It is about creating the enabling conditions for developing countries, and least-developed countries in 
particular, to benefit from participation in trade; 
 And this is an agenda that must be pursued in  collaboration with our partners in the UN, at 
the development banks, and with bilateral donors; 
 We look forward to the development of a new Aid for Trade work programme this year. 
75. Fourth and finally, we particularly welcome the changes to the Executive Summary in this 
year's report: WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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   The Summary is in fact not a summary at all. Rather it provides a narrative placing 
Members' trade and related measures in the broader context of the evolving multilateral 
trading landscape, which includes the successful outcome in Bali; 
 In this way, the Summary provides important guidance for our work this year, including with 
respect to the implementation of the Trade Fa cilitation Agreement and the development of a 
post-Bali work programme. I encourage my colleagues to send at least this section on to senior levels in capitals. 
76. In conclusion, I would like to stress Canada's strong support for the WTO's trade monitoring 
and surveillance activities. 
77. This year's Report is particularly useful as it underscores the relationship between our 
day-to-day work, trade protectionism, and broa der developments in the international trading 
system. 
78. I look forward to hearing other Members' views on this Report, and more specifically on the 
usefulness of the elements contained to our work this year. 
79. Most of all, I look forward to a more positive review next year. 
ARGENTINA 80. I should like to thank the Chair and the Director-General for introducing this Report, as well 
as the Secretariat for its ongoing efforts to prepare these documents. This Report is a valuable tool 
that allows us to gauge trade policy developments and trends in world trade. 
81. We are concerned about the economic slowdown  and subsequent impact on trade flows, 
which has led the Secretariat to lower its forecast for trade, which has been sustained primarily 
by increased imports in the developing countries. As noted in the Report, without this strong 
contribution from the developing countries, worl d trade growth would have been more negative, 
which is food for thought. Hopefully, the situatio n will change so that not only the developing 
countries stimulate trade, and imports begin to increase in the developed countries as well. 
82. We also wish to discuss the reference to the little or scarce cooperation the Secretariat 
appears to receive when preparing these reports, especially with respect to behind-the-border 
measures. According to the document, while it appears to be possible to gather information 
on most border measures for the purposes of this exercise, the same is not true of behind-the-border measures such as subsidies, state aid and general economic support measures. We hope that this improves for future reports, as many of these support programmes 
tend to be trade distorting as well and of great concern to the developing countries, which are 
unable to tackle them or counteract their effects. 
83. Moreover, as we said during the preparation of this document, we are concerned about the 
measures it contains that are unconfirmed by governments or delegations and based solely 
on the media. The press, as you know, is often an unreliable source and has other interests at stake, and we have seen a recent example of this in this Organization. We therefore suggest 
that such measures not be included in the report, unless the information is confirmed by the 
government concerned. 
84. Paragraph 3.56 on page 41 of the English vers ion of this document contains a reference 
to an Argentine measure that is being applied pursuant to our country's international undertakings 
and discussed within the MERCOSUR  framework. The reference is based on information provided 
by the media and even includes the title of what is, incidentally, a fairly sensationalist article. Considering that it was inappropriate to include it in this Report, our delegation requested 
its removal, and yet it is still there. 
85. Lastly, we have a question regarding the figures mentioned in the document. We do not see 
any connection between the number of measures mentioned in the Annexes and the figures 
included in the body of the Repo rt, although the Director-General provided some explanation in his 
statement. The Report mentions, for example, 407 new trade restrictive measures during the WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  period covered, but there is no Annex contai ning these 407 measures. We have tried every 
possible combination adding up the measures liste d in the various Annexes, but have not been 
able to reach the figure of 407. We would like to  know how the Secretariat arrived at that number. 
86. I would like to thank the Chair and once again thank the Secretariat and the 
Director-General for the efforts made in preparing this Report. 
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC  87. First of all, we wish to thank the Director-General and the team at the Secretariat for this 
Report, which is very thorough and reflects an economic situation that still gives cause for 
concern. The long awaited recovery has not yet taken place and global economic growth has been very low, due, among other things, to the recessi on in the eurozone, the unpredictable impact of 
dismantling US monetary policy, and the slowdown of the emerging economies. The Report states 
that world merchandise trade grew less than 2.5% in 2013, while forecasts for 2014 are between 
4 and 4.5%, which is still lower than the annual average for the previous 20 years. 
88. The US economy grew 2.8% during the third quarter of last year; however, 
the unemployment rate remained very high at 7. 3% last October. In the eurozone, unemployment 
also remains very high at 12%, with a very weak economy growing barely 0.4% and low levels of consumption and investment. As for the emerging economies, China and Brazil showed high 
rates of economic growth, with 9.1% in the thir d quarter in China and 6% in the second quarter 
in Brazil, whereas India recorded only 2.3%. In ge neral, although we have  seen revived economic 
growth worldwide, strong fluctuations in emergi ng economy currencies over the past few weeks, 
due to the response of capital markets to the anti cipated rise in interest rates in the developed 
economies as a result of the Federal Reserve's ti ghter monetary policy, could generate negative 
feelings in the markets of the developing an d developed economies, which would undermine 
the slow recovery of investment, consumption and trade. As global growth is still weak and uneven 
and the employment situation remains very problematic, the G-20 countries should make efforts 
to coordinate their monetary policies, following the past success of such coordination which prevented a longer and deeper recession. 
89. The Report also reflects the fact that imports from the developing countries have greatly 
raised and contributed to maintaining positive world trade flows, while the contribution of the developed countries has been uniformly negative. As a result, the governments of the developed 
countries in which the crisis is most pronounced should further intensify their efforts to overcome 
it without resorting to protectionist measures that would only worsen the situation and even 
contaminate the developing economies, especially  the smallest and most vulnerable among them 
that are closely linked to the economies of the developed countries. 
90. It is troubling that, according to the Report, 407 new trade restrictive measures and trade 
remedies were recorded between October 2012 and November 2013, compared to 308 the previous year. Out of these 407 measures, 355 were trade remedies, consisting primarily 
of anti-dumping and safeguard measures. We th erefore concur with the Report that Members 
should think about the cause of this increase in the application of trade remedies, since from our perspective, such measures are supposed to correct  distortions in trade flows, and we should find 
out what is happening in this area. We agree that Members should pay attention to the cumulative 
effects of new and existing trade restrictive measures, and that the members of the G-20, 
which undertook from the outset of the crisis not to apply measures restricting trade flows, 
have a greater responsibility to honour this commitment, in order to generate confidence in the 
multilateral system, and to take trade liberalizing initiatives, even as a means of fighting the world 
economic crisis that is still plaguing hundreds of millions of people. 
91. We also agree with the Report that the Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali was a success 
which, in our view, should give new momentum to the multilateral trading system, and that 
we should design a work programme that would allow us to conclude the Doha Round negotiations on development and agriculture. 
92. Finally, we agree with the Report that transpar ency is one of the pillars of the WTO's work 
and that it must be improved. The Report explai ns that fewer countries are providing the trade 
information needed for this Body to conduct this monitoring exercise. Moreover, it explains that WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  this exercise does not properly record behind-the-border measures that might affect trade, such 
as subsidies, state aid, general economic support measures, government procurement and domestic regulations that affect trade in goods and services. We believe it is important for Members, especially the G-20, to provide informatio n on these measures and that the latter should 
b e  a n a l y s e d .  I n  s o  d o i n g ,  w e  w o u l d  p r o b a b l y  f i n d  s o m e  s o r t  o f  e x p l a n a t i o n  f o r  t h e  o b s e r v e d  
increase in trade remedies. 
REPUBLIC OF KOREA 
93. I would like to join the previous speakers in extending our sincere appreciation to Director 
General Azevêdo and the Secretariat for their hard  work in preparing this guiding Report.   
94. The Director General's Report and presentation well captures the overview of developments 
in the international trading environments. The positive outcome of MC-9 creates a momentum to 
reinvigorate the multilateral trading system. The proliferations of RTAs and Mega-FTAs has great 
ramification on the Multilateral Trading system and we should monitor to make them complementary and mutually supportive. The Report also notes that the number of trade 
restrictive measures increased from 303 to 407 between October 2012 and November 2013, which 
affect about 1.3% of world merchandise import. These measures fall short of an outbreak of 
protectionisms, but we should vigilantly monitor to stop and reverse this trend.  
95. More specifically, we would like to make two points. From October 2012 to November 2013 
as many as 254 anti-dumping investigations were initiated, which is 30 more than a year before. While we certainly recognize that trade remedy measures are legitimate rights of WTO Member 
under the WTO Agreement, we cannot disregard their protectionist dimensions. In this regard, we 
would like to urge Members to take a more cautious approach to trade remedy measures. 
96. Second, I wish to refer to the Report that only small number of Members responded to the 
request to provide information on their new trade measures, in fact, declining from 38% of the 
membership in 2012 to 35% in 2013. This is particularly the case with behind-border measures 
such as general economic support measures. To address this issue, it could be useful to explore conceptual issues regarding what constitutes "general economic support measures". The absence 
of such clarification may have contributed to Members’ insufficient reporting, making any 
assessment potentially partial and possibly inaccurate. 
97. As Director General pointed out, protectionist pressures are bound to remain in a context of 
slow and uneven economic recovery with persistent high levels of unemployment. During times 
such as this, it is all the more important to reinforce the monitoring mechanisms of the multilateral 
trading system by ensuring transparency, one of th e key functions of the WTO. Korea will continue 
to work closely and constructively with other Member to further strengthen the monitoring and 
surveillance mechanisms of the multilateral trading system. 
MEXICO 98. Mexico wishes to thank the Director-General and his team for the exhaustive Report 
we have been given today. The Report contains significant methodological improvements that are 
in line with the recommendations made by Members in the latest reviews of the TPRB. 
99. We are concerned, however, that the number of  Members participating in this monitoring 
exercise is still so low. Participation is down from the previous Report in terms of the number 
of Members which responded to the DG's initial request for information and the Secretariat's 
request that the information be verified, while some Members responded by requesting in turn that their measures not be included in the Report. 
100.  We agree with the Secretariat that "the lack of active participation of governments in the 
provision of relevant information and in the verification process makes any assessment of overall trends not only partial, but also possibly inaccurate". This is cause for concern to my delegation 
and is a sign that we should be careful when drawing conclusions from this Report, which 
is nevertheless an excellent starting point for assessing the international trading environment. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  101.  At the same time, it reaffirms the need for al l Members to duly honour their transparency 
obligations and the commitment undertaken at the Eighth Ministerial Conference to cooperate with the Secretariat in a constructive manner when reports are prepared. 
102.  More importantly, it is encouraging to see that the volume of merchandise trade is projected 
to grow by between 4% and 4.5% in 2014, which is  substantially higher than the growth observed 
in 2013. It is still, however, below the long-term trend for world trade. 
103.  It therefore remains troubling that some countries continue to maintain trade restrictive 
measures or implement new ones and that the number of "new restrictive measures" is still 
increasing compared to previous periods. Unfortunately, despite repeated political signals and the G-20's reiterated commitment at the highest level to keep markets open and to remove any protectionist measures that might have been established in the wake of the economic crisis, 
it is primarily G-20 Members that are adopting the largest number of new measures. 
104.  It is also disappointing that the number of trade facilitation measures is so limited 
and frankly lower than the number of restrictive measures. According to the Report, 80 of the 
facilitation measures during the period under re view were tariff reductions, some of which were 
implemented on a temporary basis. It is to be hoped that these temporary measures become definitive and that once the Agreement on Trade Facilitation enters into force, more and more 
facilitation measures that improve and simp lify customs procedures will be notified. 
105.  It should nonetheless be emphasized that  out of the 407 "new" measures not geared 
towards trade facilitation, as reported by the Secretariat for the period from October 2012 to November 2013, 355 were trade remedy actions, and out of these 355 actions, 217 concerned 
the initiation of investigations. We should be very cautious in dealing with this information. 
106.  While we are open to discussing the causal links between trade remedies and trade 
protectionism, it is obvious that not all investigations initiated lead to the imposition 
of countervailing or anti-dumping measures. For example, the Report lists Mexico among 
the Members that reported an increase in the number of anti-dumping investigations initiated (i.e. seven initiations compared to three during the previous period). It should be noted, 
however, that there were only five investigation initiations, as two of the actions were 
anti-circumvention findings. 
107.  This reflects certain conceptual problems in the Report. We will send more comments 
in writing to the Secretariat, but here we should point out that, in short, there were five, 
not seven, anti-dumping investigations initiated duri ng the review period in Mexico's case, and that 
to date there has been a preliminary ruling for on ly one of these, while the others have not even 
reached that stage. 
108.  While this shows that protectionism may be overestimated in the Report, one must bear 
in mind that, as the Secretariat explains, it is short of information relating to behind-the-border measures such as subsidies, state aid, general economic support measures and domestic 
regulations affecting trade in goods and services , due to the aforementioned lack of Member 
participation in this exercise. Non-tariff measures should definitely be better covered by the monitoring mechanism. 
109.  We are pleased that one of the improvements in troduced in the Report is the consideration 
of information from Trade Policy Reviews. Mexico was one of the Members that was reviewed 
in 2013 and the Report mentions that various delegations congratulated our country on its unilateral liberalization programme under which it lowered the average tariff from 11.2% 
in 2007 to 6.2% in 2012. I should point out that Mexico reduced the average tariff in the industrial 
sector from 10.4% to just 4.3% and that tariffs in  the agricultural sector fell by 4.5 percentage 
points in 2013. 
110.  The programme to streamline Mexico's foreign trade involves a wide range of trade 
facilitation measures which will enable us to implement almost all of the measures contained in the Agreement on Trade Facilitation once it has entered into force. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  111.  The Report also mentions that during the review of its trade policy, Mexico received 
recommendations from some Members to reduce restrictions on foreign direct investment 
in sectors such as energy and telecommunications. I would like to emphasize that in 2013, the Mexican Congress approved a package of struct ural reforms, which are the most significant 
economic and social development reforms in Mexican history, covering, inter alia , 
telecommunications, energy, finance, taxation and economic competition. 
112.  Mexico will continue to uphold its undertaking not to use protectionist measures, as a sign 
of its commitment to the multilateral trading system and in favour of global economic recovery. 
113.  My delegation has been supporting the Director -General's efforts in preparing this Report, 
which has become a linchpin for monitoring the international trading environment, and it will continue to do so. However, we still think that estimating the percentage of imports affected 
by trade measures is not enough and that we n eed to assess their economic impact and effects 
on trade flows and especially value chains. 
114.  I would like to conclude by reiterating my de legation's thanks to the Director-General 
and the Secretariat for this excellent Report. 
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 115.  Thank you, Mr Chairman, for convening this meeting in timely manner. I thank Director 
General for the comprehensive health check report. We support his ideas for the work of 2014. 
Joining others, we also thank the Secretariat for producing and presenting the Report. China believes that this monitoring exercise serves the collective interests of the entire Membership. Meanwhile, I believe it also helps other global governance bodies better understand the 
international trading environment and address the i ssues and challenges in the process of global 
economic recovery. Therefore, China stands ready to further support the efforts by the secretariat 
in this regards.  
116.  A salient feature of this Report is that new trade restriction measures add to the existing 
high stock of restrictions and other impediments to the flow of international trade. At this critical juncture with fragile economic situation in the world, it is important for us to make the right 
response to the rising temptation of protectionism. China is in favour of the suggestion of this 
Report that the G-20 members have a particular responsibility to lead by examples in resisting domestic pressures to erect trade barriers and in creating the confidence that is needed for the success of further liberalization initiatives under the WTO. 
117.  China is the biggest victim of protectionism and trade restrictive measures. As described in 
this report, China still remains the Member most affected by anti-dumping initiations during the last two years. China urges relevant Members to redouble their efforts to resist protectionist 
pressures and refrain from abusing trade remedy measures. 
118.  On our side, as our President XI Jinping has pointed out, "China will unwaveringly adhere to 
its reform and opening-up process. The more developed China is the more open China will be". 
Therefore, in 2014 China will further the open ness of its economy in an all-round manner, 
including on investment and services such as financial and education. Some of those efforts are being implemented through the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, as this Report reflected.  
119.  Finally, at the time when the world faces seve re challenges, it is vital that trade keeps 
playing its stabilizing and insurance role. For this purpose, we believe the WTO has a big role to 
play and a long way to go. 
SWITZERLAND 
120.  My Delegation would like first to thank the Director-General for his presentation and the 
WTO Secretariat for having produced this new annual Report on trade-related developments 
which, once again presents a comprehensive picture of the situation, problems and challenges we 
are currently facing in the area of international trade and trade policy. We welcome the 
continuation of this mechanism, which clearly contributes to improving transparency in the multilateral trading system and is now a core activity of the WTO. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  121.  Despite the importance given by Ministers to the TPRB work on monitoring trade and 
trade-related measures, we note with great disappointment that only 35% of the Membership replied to the Director-General's request for information. This makes it difficult for the Secretariat to produce an unbiased overview of trade-related developments if a large majority of Members 
retain information on their own measures. More discipline in this respect is therefore required so 
that the results of this exercise become more me aningful. We therefore welcome the fact that the 
Secretariat included again in its Report a list of those Members and observers who actively 
participated in this exercise. We very much encourage the Secretariat to continue publishing in 
future such a list of cooperating Members to en tice others to become also more transparent. 
122.  The problem here is the same as with notifications. Still, only a minority of Members is 
providing complete and timely notifications an d thus fulfil their transparency requirements. 
123.  On the substance of the Report, Switzerland notes with disappointment that despite some 
recent encouraging economic developments, the growth of volume in merchandise trade remained quite sluggish in 2013. Even as we are witnessing th e beginning of a recovery of world trade, it is 
likely to remain both slow and uneven this year. As the Secretariat rightly notes, it is therefore 
high time for Members to reflect on what  the causes of this sluggishness may be. 
124.  With the global economic outlook remaining subdued, resisting protectionist trends and 
reversing protectionist measures in place must remain a top priority. The WTO served its Members 
well as a bulwark against widespread protectionism during and in the aftermath of the financial and economic crisis. New import restrictions have been shown to harm the global economy. The same holds true for export restrictions. By monitoring these and other measures potentially 
detrimental to trade, the WTO assumes a crucial role  in world trade and contributes significantly to 
containing protectionist pressures. A further strengthening of this role is therefore in the collective interest of all WTO Members. 
125.  This being said, slow trade growth is not only the result of trade restrictions which breach 
WTO rules. We strongly believe that there is also a direct link between unsatisfactory trade growth and the continued accumulation of trade remedi es, notably antidumping measures. Switzerland 
notes with great concern that a number of Members, in particular the G-20, resort increasingly to 
antidumping measures. Even though some of th ese measures might be in compliance with WTO 
obligations, they are nonetheless dangerous as they tend to restrict trade and can generate tit for 
tat reactions from trading partners. It is indeed quite significant to observe that it is precisely 
those countries which are the greatest users of these instruments which have also become the 
most frequent target of antidumping measures initiated by their partners. 
126.  Trade remedies also tend to hamper normal structural adjustment in the countries using 
them, and are thus detrimental to the longer-t erm economic development and growth of the 
sectors so protected. Furthermore, it is importan t to emphasize that in today's world of global 
value chains and fragmented production processes, exports increasingly depend on imports. Trade 
remedies, like other barriers to imports, thus inevitably translate into higher costs precisely for the 
exporters of those Members applying trade remedies , and, in turn, this affects negatively their 
international competitiveness. 
127.  Further initiatives should be taken to find solutions to the current slow growth and economic 
difficulties of our globalized world. Boosting trade can contribute to economic growth and 
employment, and removing obstacles to trade can enhance countries' ability to participate in global value chains. Therefore, pursuing progressive trade liberalization should feature high on the 
WTO agenda. But the rules of the multilateral tradin g system also need to be further strengthened 
and developed to adapt the WTO to the realities of  the 21st century. Among the latter, Switzerland 
considers that we will need to address again also, at some point, the issue of the potential abuse 
of antidumping measures by reviving the rules ne gotiations in the context of the post-Bali work 
programme. Last, but not least, we need to better  understand the role and functioning of global 
value chains in international trade. 
128.  Before I conclude, Mr Chairman, I would like to invite once again Members to contribute to 
the strengthening of the WTO trade-monitoring  process through full cooperation with the 
Secretariat with regard to their trade and trade-related measures as well as with more complete and timely notifications. A further improvement in the quality of these trade monitoring reports will WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  only be possible with the full participation of each of us. Switzerland remains for its part fully 
committed to this exercise and will continue to cooperate fully with the WTO Secretariat to provide maximum transparency on its own trade and trade-related policies. 
UGANDA 
129.  On behalf of the LDCs Group we thank the Director General for his comprehensive Report 
regarding developments in the international trading environment. We commend him for this transparency mechanism that continues to play a fundamental role in informing Members on the 
different aspects of the multilateral trading environment.  
130.  This Report is timely in nature. As appropriately highlighted, different people interpret 
results differently but what is important is that like in a mirror everyone sees his image in it. It is therefore important that as a move along in this post Bali period, Members should ensure that 
both developing and LDCs derive fruitful resu lts with economic value from the Bali outcome 
decisions. 
131.  We therefore urge Members to take pro-active steps in ensuring that the LDC decisions are 
implemented in a meaningful way with a view to  promote the economic growth and development 
of the weakest and most vulnerable Members of the multilateral trading system. 
UNITED STATES 
132.  The United States would like to join others in expressing thanks to the Director General and 
the Secretariat for continuing their efforts to monitor trade and trade-related measures and for producing this extensive and informative Report. 
133.  In focusing in part on the trade facilitation measures Members have taken over the past 
year, this Report underscores for us that the first order of business at the WTO must be to finish 
what we started by staying through to the results at Bali and implementing the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement. 
134.  The United States is also open-minded as we begin to work together to try to identify future 
opportunities for progress post Bali. It is a fact, however, that the extent to which we would be able to make progress in certain areas would depend in part on whether or not we can overcome 
gaps in information and gather updated data. 
135.  In this regard, we agree with the Report that a progress is still needed in agriculture to 
reduce the number of outstanding notifications in domestic support and export subsidies. There are information gaps regarding the situation of Members on tariffs. 
136.  We also agree with the Report that the regular work of the WTO could benefit from more 
attention to the operation of the many transparency mechanisms that exist and that underpin the effectiveness of WTO rules in general. None of this day-to-day committed work is 
headline-grabbing but it is vital in helping determine our ability to move forward and maintain 
momentum from Bali. 
137.  The United States remains eager to partner in the Committees with Members of any size and 
affiliation to pursue specific trade restrictive measures. We remain particularly concerned about 
the rising incidence amongst some Members of info rmal measures that are not even put on paper 
or that Members deny exist such as export restrictions. In that vein, localisation barriers to trade remain of significant concern as well. 
138.  Finally, a significant attention is devoted in the Report to RTAs. We would like to underscore 
our hope that those Members who have not notified their agreements do so expeditiously. And while we welcome Members driven discussions on the relationship and impact of the growing 
number of RTAs on the multilateral trading system, we want to highlight the importance of 
compliance with the rules governing RTAs. If Members are seeking to focus on best practices in the areas of RTAs, we would hope to start with this basic tendency. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  JAPAN 
139.  First of all, Japan extends our appreciation to the Director General's Report on the overview 
of the developments in the international trading environment. It is very informative and useful to understand the current trend of world trade and trade restricted measures for our reflections. 
140.  I would like to make comments on the following five specific points. 
141.  First, the success of MC9 has contributed to re storing the credibility of the Multilateral 
Trading System. Given the increasing level of integration of world economy promoted by the 
establishment of Global and Regional Value Ch ains, the nature of trade has changed and has 
become a far deeper foundation of the global economy. Continued efforts are necessary to maintain the trend of trade liberalization and to resist protectionism. In this context, the agreement on trade facilitation is a key development for reducing the cost of trade and for the 
strengthening of the Multilateral Trading System. Th e efforts need to be encouraged to make this 
agreement to enter into force as soon as possible.  
142.  Second, TPRB monitoring has always been an effective way to address protectionism. Japan 
supports and continues to contribute to the monitoring efforts. According to the Director General’s 
report, however, the number of Members who contri buted this time was 56, which represents only 
35% of the entire membership. Moreover the partic ipation appears to have been reduced from the 
Report of last time, where 60 Members had contributed. The expansion of contribution by 
Members needs to be further encouraged to make the Report more credible. 
143.  Third, Japan has concern on the proliferation of protectionism. According to the report, 
407 trade restrictive measures were introduced during the monitoring period, which is a significant 
increase from the 308 measures for the previous period. We are concerned, in particular, that 
trade remedies appear to be on an increasing trend. Trade remedies must be consistent with the WTO rules and need to be carefully watched. Any abuse of such measures must be prevented and, 
in case they have been invoked, they must be brought into conformity with the WTO. 
144.  Fourth, as RTAs are expanding, it is more and more important to maintain their roles as 
complements to the multilateral trading system. In th is light, transparency must be a first priority 
and, therefore, notification requirements must be fulfilled. From October 2012 to November 2013, 
23 RTAs were notified to the WTO and the accumulated number is now reached 250. However, it appears that around 100 existing RTAs have not been properly notified. We have concerns on the lack of notification and would like to en courage Members to fulfil the requirements. 
145.  Fifth, like Canada, the role of Aid for Trade is significantly important in supporting the efforts 
of developing countries to improve their capacities to  trade, and, in particular, to participate in the 
global and/or regional value chains. Japan will continue its efforts to contribute to such activities 
as well as further discussions on Aid for Trade in the various opportunities including those in the 
WTO. 
HONG KONG, CHINA 
146.  Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Director General and your team for the very informative 
and useful Report. 
147.  Hong Kong, China remains fully committed to the multilateral trading system, and strongly 
supports this trade monitoring exercise. We believe all Members should regularly review their 
trade restrictive measures to see if they are still warranted, and should adopt further trade 
facilitating measures, with a view to promoting economic development. 
148.  This Report covers a wide range of subjects. I wish to comment only on some of them.  
149.  On trade facilitating measures, we note with concern that the number of measures reported 
by Members had dropped from 162 to 107. Moreover, nearly 80% of them are on tariff reductions 
(including temporary ones) and only 15% are on improved customs procedures. Surely more can 
be done, and we have in front of us the new Tr ade Facilitation Agreement which will make a big 
difference. So let’s work together for the early implementation of that Agreement. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  150.  On the other hand, we can see that initiation of trade remedy investigations is taking an 
upward trend, from 272 in the last Report to 317 in this one. These are mainly anti-dumping (AD) actions, coming from developed and developing countries alike; and for some Members, the number of investigations has almost doubled. As the Report says, the rising number of 
investigations suggests a probable rise in the number of trade remedy measures to be imposed.  
While we appreciate that some of these measures may be justified in the circumstances of the cases concerned, we strongly encourage Members to exercise caution and due restraint in 
resorting to trade remedy actions. 
151.  On TBT measures, we note that the number of specific trade concerns (STCs) raised at the 
TBT Committee continues to grow. 50 new STCs had been raised during the review period, and like the previous year, Members were mainly asking for further information or clarification. So, there 
seems to be a need to find possible tools and avenues for the consultation and resolution of STCs 
in the Committee. Hong Kong, China looks forwar d to constructive discussion in this regard. 
152.  Regarding Trade in Services, we are pleased to see more voluntary liberalization measures 
that open up the market to foreign participation. Liberalization of the financial services sector in 
some emerging markets (such as the granting of investor licenses to foreign institutions by the China Securities Regulatory Commission), and measures taken by some developing countries to 
facilitate the temporary movement of natural persons (such as the new short term local contract 
visa created by Brazil, and the extension of the va lidity period for the "temporary worker" visa in 
Columbia from one year to three years) are commendable. 
153.  Finally, we cannot over-emphasize the import ance of transparency, and therefore the 
timeliness of notification and submission of info rmation, to the success of the multilateral trading 
system and the credibility of the WTO. Reading this report, we believe there is much room for improvement. In some cases, the compliance rates of notifications had fallen below 20%. In this 
connection, Members would note that the next due date for notification of quantitative restrictions 
is September 2014. We encourage Members to work to this target and fulfil their notification obligations. 
154.  Separately, the response rate to the DG’s requ est for information on measures taken during 
the review period is not much better - only 35% of the Membership replied, worse than the 38% for the previous report. Hong Kong, China earnestly appeals to all fellow Members to furnish information to the Director General in a timely manner. This exercise is for everyone’s benefit, so 
let’s give it our full support. 
EUROPEAN UNION 155.  The EU welcomes the annual Report on the international trading environment. It is an 
extremely useful tool raising important questions which merit attention and further debate among 
Members. The DG reports that "The continued accumulation of trade restrictions in 2013 falls far short of an outbreak of protectionism, but it must be a priority for policy makers to stop the trend 
and reverse it". The EU cannot agree more with the DG's recommendation and priority to reverse 
the trend. Overall, Chair, we widely support the thoughtful comments presented by the DG.  
156.  However, as an expression of a very special preoccupation, we decided to concentrate most 
of our comments today on one specific case that currently affects the 28 EU Member States. It is a 
striking example of protectionism recently appl ied by one Member, Russia, against the whole of 
the EU. It is a serious issue which for the EU constitutes an alarming signal of much wider relevance for 2014 perspectives on protectionism trends . It is noticeable that it originates from the 
host of the last G-20 summit. The measure at stake de facto  bans all EU exports of live pigs and 
pork meat.  
157.  It is not the first time that the EU is faced with Russian barriers to trade that are not 
consistent with WTO fundamental principles. The EU has raised its concerns several times in the 
relevant Committees. The repeated restrictions witnessed by the EU in the short time since Russia has joined the WTO, would appear – even to the most casual of observers – to be part of a wider effort to protect Russian industry in areas such as: the agricultural sector, vehicles, paper products 
and machinery. The WTO annual report, itself, stresses the exceptional situation of Russia which, 
one year after its accession, is already subject to a dispute settlement case. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  158.  Against this background, it is extremely disappointing to see that Russia does not reverse 
the trend. On the contrary, Russia has recently st opped accepting imports of all live pigs and pig 
meat from the entire EU on the basis of two case s of wild boars infected with African swine fever 
found in Lithuania. This extreme measure runs counter to all international norms which recognize 
the possibility for an infected area to be contained and for trade to continue unabated from 
non-infected areas (so-called regionalisation). Russia's measure therefore comes not only as a surprise – it also appears to be clearly inconsistent with the relevant WTO obligations and 
international norms. 
159.  Let me recall that African swine fever (ASF) first arrived in that part of the world in Georgia 
in 2007. From there it spread to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Russia has reported close to 400 outbreaks since then with 6 cases already this year. The OIE – the World Organisation of 
Animal Health – adds a further 500 cases of outbreaks in wild boar to that figure. Belarus and 
Ukraine have also recently reported a few cases.  
160.  Given the constant threat to the EU since then, the EU took strict preventive measures and 
established increased surveillance. It is thanks to these measures that Lithuania was able to 
identify the two wild boars on 24 January. Lithuania has immediately taken very strict measures to combat the possible spread of the disease in close cooperation with the European Commission. 
Lithuania's measures go far beyond EU law and the international standards set by the World 
Organisation on Animal Health (the OIE). Needless to say that the EU informed Russia and all trading partners concerned immediately. Russian experts have been invited to witness the situation on the spot, which they have done, together with OIE experts.  
161.  Of course, the EU continues its strict preventive measures (over 12.000 tests have been 
carried out during the last weeks). The intense mo nitoring in place shows that since then there 
have been no other new cases in Lithuania or in any other region or Member State that are 
considered to be ASF free.  
162.  In spite of all these precautions applied by Lithuania and the EU, Russia de facto  bans the 
import of all live pigs and pig meat originatin g from the entire EU. This creates significant 
economic damage. These EU exports to Russia amount  to 4 million euros a day, 1.4 billion euros a 
year, and Russia represents one quarter of all EU exports. 
163.  Considering the grave economic implications and the extent of the damage caused by 
Russian measure, the EU tried to get into contact with Russian SPS authorities immediately. But it 
is only now, after 3 full weeks, that the first high level meeting has taken place last Friday with no 
result. 
164.  The ban against the entire EU is clearly unfounded, disproportionate and not in line with 
Russian obligations under the WTO Agreement, in particular with Article 6 of the SPS Agreement 
dealing with regionalisation, and with Article 2 which outlaws discriminatory and excessive SPS 
measures. I do hope that, in the light of these facts, Russia will finally take prompt action in line 
with its WTO obligations. 
165.  The WTO Report insists on transparency and the EU does share that this is a key obligation 
of Members. In the case I have just described to you, Russia has been most in-transparent. It is only last week, 10 February, that Russia notified  to the WTO the so-called emergency measures it 
had taken two weeks earlier. In this notification, Russia claims that the restrictions only concern 
Lithuania while in reality the restrictions in effect cover the entire EU. This de facto  total embargo 
creates considerable economic damage not only to the EU but also to the Russian consumers and 
the Russian processing industry which has last week written to President Putin underlining the 
catastrophic impact of the embargo on their situation. 
166.  The EU has already asked the Russian authorities to align with their WTO obligations and 
apply the regionalisation principle in order to auth orise all EU areas that are free of the disease to 
export freely to Russia, based on certificates th at clearly certify the fact of being free of the 
disease.  
167.  Let me therefore ask the following question from the representative of Russia: can Russia 
confirm, that all Member States of the European  Union free from African swine fever, are allowed WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  to export to Russia with no other obstacles at the borders? Equally, does Russia accept to 
undertake the necessary administrative steps to make this possible in practice, on the ground? The EU looks forward to a positive reply by the representative of Russia today, confirming immediate action to lift the unjustified import ban. This would allow to avoid the considerable damage that 
the measure brings not only to the EU exporter s, but also to the overall EU-Russia economic 
relationship. 
168.  The EU strongly believes that constructive dialogue can, and will, bring about more and 
better results.  
169.  The EU does believe that the multilateral tradin g system brings benefits to all regardless of 
the respective weights of the individual WTO Members. The reasons for this are several: all of us benefit from transparency. All of us benefit from non-discrimination and the absence of excessive 
restrictions. All of us benefit from having an equal seat at the table when negotiating. And all of us 
benefit from dispute settlement mechanisms that allow us to settle our trade disputes peacefully regardless of our share of the markets at stake or our relative powers.  
170.  The EU shares your recommendation that all Members and more particularly the G-20 
members should abide by their commitments and ma ke all efforts to reverse the trend which still 
shows a negative balance between the number of new barriers and the removal of barriers since 
2008.  
171.  Transparency as I said already is a key area and, as a first step to improve the overall 
situation, Members must all comply with the notification’s obligations. I would like to highlight the EU concerns regarding the poor level of compliance that the Secretariat reports in particular but 
not only in terms of notifications regarding among others import licensing, STEs and subsidies 
granted by Members.  
172.  Regarding post Bali, discussions are taking place now and the EU has already said several 
times that it attaches utmost importance to the implementation of the TF agreement. The EU also 
supports the DG's views that for Parties to be able to negotiate in a post Bali context, disposing of relevant data is absolutely crucial. The work of the WTO Secretariat in establishing relevant 
databases but also of other international organisations in bringing pertinent information for 
negotiators is fundamental.  
173.  The Secretariat points to the recurrent discussion as to the compatibility and consistency of 
regional trade agreements with the multilateral tr ading system. The EU position is well known and 
was developed at length during the last EU TPR. Let me just state that the EU is convinced that 
ambitious bilateral and regional agreements will send a clear signal of our willingness to open 
markets on goods and services as well as tackling complex regulatory issues. These may also pave 
the way to future multilateral negotiations in our Organization. In this respect, the EU believes that 
it is important to maintain the centrality of the WTO, also to conduct analysis and work on RTA-related issues. As I already said, transparency and due notifications are key for all of us to be 
in a position to work meaningfully on the relationship and the consistency of the RTAs with the 
multilateral trading system at times when RTAs do proliferate at a rate of about 14 new RTAs in force per year with still about 100 not notified o fficially. The EU defends that a right balance be 
struck between the transparency obligations and the burden of reporting. To that end, the EU has 
made specific proposals to discuss implementation  reports in accordance with Article 15 of the 
Transparency Mechanism.  
174.  Among many other issues, including the opening up of certain services sectors by Members, 
the Report stresses the potential offered by the revised GPA. In this regard, the EU strongly 
encourages other Parties to proceed to a swift submission of their instrument of acceptance. Mr Chair, we share your view that Bali has been a real success and has put the Organization back 
on track. We must collectively act to ensure th is success continues. The EU is committed to the 
multilateral trading system and the EU has resisted protectionism. These are not my words. This is the Chair's conclusion of the EU TPR last July. The EU is not to change direction and asks other Members to implement their commitments and reverse protectionism measures. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  175.  Chair, I raised specific concerns I felt it was prudent to share with all of you because, 
although specific, they appear to me of wider interest regarding the perspectives for the year ahead. 
SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TA IWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU 
176.  My delegation would like to join previous speakers in thanking the Director General and the 
Secretariat for their efforts in producing this latest Report on development in the international trading environment (WT/TPR/OV/16). 
177.  The Annual Report presents a valuable and comprehensive picture of exactly what we are 
facing in the area of international trade. We are ve ry much in favour of continuing with the current 
monitoring exercise, which we are convinced does help to improve transparency in the multilateral trading system. However, we were disappointed to learn from the Report that the number of 
Members providing information on their new trade measures for this exercise actually declined 
from 38% of the membership in 2012 to 35% in 20 13. We share the view of colleagues that there 
is considerable scope for improvement among Memb ers on the transparency dimension. For this 
monitoring exercise to be of real and lasting value, fuller and broader participation across the 
Membership is needed.  Therefore, all Members shou ld be encouraged to fulfil the obligations they 
have made to strengthen the multilateral trading system. 
178.  The WTO has always advocated an open tradin g system. And yet we see the number of new 
trade restricting measures remained increasing in 2013, while the number of new trade facilitating 
measures fell significantly. This trend merits our close attention. A major return to protectionism would not only deal a devastating blow to the system itself, but would also destroy the 
long-established credibility of the WTO as the organization with the leading role in world trade. We 
must proceed with caution, resist protectionist pr essures and work collectively on opening markets 
rather than closing them. 
179.  The situation we face now is perhaps even more critical than it was during the financial 
crisis. The world needs a stronger commitment from all Governments to revitalize the multilateral trading system. We share the view of the Director-General in his Report that the positive outcome 
at the Bali MC9 creates an opportunity to take the necessary steps to reinvigorate the multilateral 
trading system. In particular, the efforts at bringing into force the TF Agreement in the near future will mean benefits for all Members. So, we must  all contribute to keeping up the momentum and 
build on the strong reaffirmation by Ministers in Bali to tackle the challenges among Members.  
Even though the goal of achieving consensus on a DDA package among WTO Members may be out 
of reach in the short term, the possibility still exists for advancing with smaller steps; and this possibility should not be lost. 
180.  Moreover, the accelerating development of regional trade negotiations is also highlighted in 
the Report. The number of RTAs continues to rise and this seems to have become an inevitable trend among Members in all parts of the world. It is absolutely crucial, therefore, that Members 
make serious efforts to ensure that they are operating harmoniously with WTO rules, and 
complement rather than challenge the multilateral trading system. 
181.  Having said this, we would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to you, 
Mr Chairman, and the Secretariat for your hard work in facilitating some improvements in the 
trade monitoring exercise last year. Productive discussions have certainly taken place and major 
suggestions on methodology and clarification from the floor have been adopted into this latest 
Report. 
182.  And, last but not least, we wish to stress that  the value of this ever-improving Report will 
depend on the degree of support that Members give  to providing information to the Secretariat on 
their trade-related measures. Therefore, Members must continually be encouraged to cooperate in 
this respect. It is only with the full participation of Members in the TPRM and trade-monitoring 
exercises that the WTO's core functions can be strengthened and the WTO Agreements can be better implemented. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  BRAZIL 
183.  Let me also thank the Director General and Secretariat team for this Report on the 
international trading environment, a Report and an exercise that we do value. 
184.  It is matter of concern that global trade growth remains below its historical average, a result 
of the fact that the global economy has not cleared the storm yet. 
185.  Fortunately, there is good news as well. First, the expected trade growth forecast is 
indicating an upward trend. Second, MC-9 marked a turning point for the WTO and brought 
renewed hope for a balanced conclusion of the DDA.  
186.  Development has to be at the centre of our efforts with a focus on the unfinished business of 
the 20th century. After Bali, we cannot fail to address the core issues related to the elimination of export subsidies and reduction of domestic support in agriculture, as well as to market access in 
agriculture, NAMA and services. 
187.  Turning back to the report, I take comfort in noting that Brazil is the country with the 
highest number of trade-facilitating measures, including tariff reductions for more than 
3,100 products, such as capital goods, IT  equipment, chemicals and foodstuffs. 
188.  Like the Brazilian delegation stressed in previous TPRB meetings, let me underscore once 
again that this annual Report would be more comprehensive and useful if it included further 
information on general economic support measures. Brazil strongly welcomes the launching of the 
conceptual and definitional debate suggested by the Director General on them. 
189.  In the same vein, support measures in the agricultural sector have always been a matter of 
major systemic concern, particularly for developing countries, and must receive even closer 
scrutiny. We reiterate our request to see more detailed analytical data in future reports. 
190.  Brazil stands ready to give its contribution to the improvement of the trade monitoring 
function in the WTO and is open to a productive debate on the ideas you submitted in your report, 
Mr Director-General. 
ECUADOR 191.  The Report that has been given to us today summarizes the events that have had an effect 
on international trade during the period under review. It mentions, for example, the trade 
concerns raised by Members under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade with respect to the measures adopted by the rest of the Membership, in favour of – as expected - transparency. In order to avoid a priori judgements, the Report does not distinguish between measures that 
constitute unnecessary obstacles to trade and thos e applied in exercise of the rights enshrined 
in the TBT Agreement, which specifically recogniz es that "no country should be prevented from 
taking measures necessary for […] for the protection of human, animal or plant life or health, 
of the environment, or for the prevention of de ceptive practices, at the levels it considers 
appropriate", a right that has been reaffirmed by the Appellate Body in the cases United States - Certain Country of Origin Labelling Requirements and United States - Measures Affecting 
the Production and Sale of Clove. 
192.  While the Report cannot distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate measures 
on grounds of neutrality, and all of these measures are included in the periodic monitoring of international trade, Ecuador thinks that this Report should also contain information relating 
to, for example, agricultural subsidies, which are the main causes of international trade distortion, 
general support measures and other measures that are not necessarily taken at the border. 
193.  We must insist on the provision in Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreement, which clearly states 
that assessment carried out under the review mechanism takes place against the background 
of the wider economic and developmental needs, po licies and objectives of the Member concerned, 
as well as of its external environment. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  194.  We should like to thank the Secretariat for its work and are willing to continue working 
together to build a reliable, transparent and, above all, equitable monitoring system. 
SINGAPORE 195.  Singapore would like to put on record our appreciation to the Director General for the 
comprehensive and useful Report. While the developments noted in the Report are not as dire as 
to constitute a new outbreak of protectionism, nevertheless there is still cause for concern and need for increased vigilance. While there may be differences over the methodology used in the 
Report, it is clear that as we as Members are not doing a good enough job as only a minority of 
Members provided inputs for the report. In that regard, Singapore supports the Secretariat using information drawn from publicly available sources such as Government websites, with the caveat that these should be verified with Members. There was a policy measure by Singapore that was 
included in the Report under "Policy Developments in trade in services" that was based on 
information from one of our ministries' website. Although we did not receive a request for verification from the Secretariat, we understand fr om the Secretariat that they intend to verify 
such measures with Members for future re ports. We would certainly welcome that. 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL'S CLOSING REMARKS 196.  Thank you very much Mr Chairman. This was the first Report that I have presented to 
Members. For me it was extremely useful to hear all the comments and all the suggestions to 
improve on what we have done. Some of the suggestions are not easy to fix. For example, Ecuador was mentioning the distinction between restricted, necessary and unnecessary measures, 
and that it's clearly the case in some situations like antidumping. The same goes for SPS and other 
measures which could be of a protectionist nature or could be actually legitimate measures and 
protecting health of animals, plant and human life. 
197.  One more thing, I think the part of the improv ement in what we are doing would depend on 
you. So, it is also about the quality and the degree on interaction that we have with you. The more 
information we get from you the more precise and accurate those reports would be. I suppose that in many areas you will have mostly a factual Report where the Secretariat is not going to take 
sides or qualify the measures. We just list the measures and it's up to you and the reader to 
make-up his mind on what those measures mean. 
198.  I noticed that some would like a more analytical approach on the part of the Secretariat and 
myself. We are looking into that, to see whether it is possible to do something like that in a 
reasonable way, always knowing that every time you analyse something you are introducing an 
element of subjectivity to the Report and if we do that, you have to understand that it is a prospective that has been offered to you, this is not the only possible prospective. You will have to 
introduce your own prospectives as well. We  will look at all that very carefully. 
199.  There was a question from Argentina about wh ere exactly the number of 407 comes from. I 
will let the Secretariat answer that. 
200.  As far as I am concerned this was a very useful exercise. Thank you all very much and we 
will try to improve.  
SECRETARIAT 201.  Just to clarify the number 407 as raised by Argentina. This figure includes 217 trade 
restrictive measures from Annex 2 which is Tr ade Remedies and 190 from Annex 3, Other Trade 
Measures. Thank you. 
CHAIRMAN'S CLOSING REMARKS 
202.  Let me conclude the meeting by first thanking the Director General and delegations for their 
contributions to this rather rich exchange of  views. I believe that our discussion today has 
reaffirmed the importance of the trade monitoring exercise in providing enhanced transparency of 
Members trade and trade-related policies and measures. I also take note of, and I think we should WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  be greatly encouraged by, the general commitmen t among Members to continue to improve their 
contribution to and participation in the monitoring exercise.  
203.  Let me just stress that, as Chair of the TPRB, the question is not so much the poor response 
rate but rather what Members wish to do to improv e that. I will be of course available if people 
would like to have a bit more structured informal discussion on how to improve the level of 
participation with respect to the responses as well as the verification. 
204.  We have touched upon a number of issues and I don't intend to read them out all of them. 
But let me just stress that there seems to be a strong welcome for the DG's proposed action for 
2014. There was a rather strong encouraging signal on the issue of improving notification records 
as well as transparency.  
205.  With respect to trade restriction measures, I take  note of the fact that we have to have a 
discussion on how you differentiate between apples  and oranges, but I think some Members also 
pointed out that we are still talking about fruits and these fruits can be rather acid.  
206.  Now with the respect to be moving forward on that, a question was raised by a number of 
Members on the roll-back of trade restrictive measures and, in this case, some Members pointed 
out that there is a particular role for the G-20 in this respect. 
207.  A number of Members, like in the past, highlighted the role of behind-border measures, 
unofficial measures as well as support measures that should be given a greater emphasis in future 
reports. 
208.  It was pointed out that RTAs need to complement multilateral trading system and have to be 
comparable to other rules.  
209.  A number of Members stressed the role of aid for trade to support developing countries and 
the least developed countries to better integrate in global trade as a key objective for the WTO. 
210.  And finally, which was not different compared to past reports, I've got the sense that we had 
a strong encouragement of the fact that we ha ve made substantial progress in WTO negotiation 
thanks to Bali and that provides a good start for trying to tackle a number of other issues here and 
I thank everyone for highlighting their priorities in that regard. WT/TPR/OV/M/11 
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  ANNEX 
PAKISTAN 211.  The delegation of Pakistan appreciates the i ssuance of “Overview of Developments in the 
International Trading Environment,” and thanks the Director General and the WTO secretariat for 
producing a high quality and comprehensive Overview. This report reviews trade and trade related 
developments from October 2012 to November 2013, in line with the MC-8 mandate that took note of the work initially done in the context of the global crisis, and directed it to be continued 
and strengthened. The Report scans the landscape of both trade restrictive and trade facilitative 
measures adopted by the members and examines them  against the criteria of trade liberalization, 
or conversely, trade protection. In doing so, the Report has a definite value in terms of the information it analyses and the policy prescriptions it advances. 
 
212.  We agree with the conclusion that overall, th e global economic recovery remains on track 
but is unbalanced and uneven. We also agree that the continued accumulation of trade restrictions 
in 2013 falls far short of an outbreak of protectionism, but it must be a priority for policymakers to 
stop and reverse this trend.   
213.  We are pleased to note a comprehensive treatment accorded to several areas and the useful 
conclusions drawn. Here, we agree with the reco mmendation that it would also seem appropriate 
to look at ways to reinvigorate work in the CRTA on the systemic implications of regionalism… to ensure they (the RTAs) operate harmoniously with  the MTS and that the interests of third parties 
are properly taken into account.  We also agree with the assessment that trade multilateralism 
needs to renew itself but that task must not obscure the continuing need to address the many remaining traditional trade barriers and distortions that continue to be at the centre of the trade 
policy agenda for the large majority of WTO members. 
  214.  The section on Trade Finance is also a welcome and much required part of the Report. We 
recognize that for Asian countries, the Asian Development Bank has been helpful in addressing 
liquidity shortages and such debilitating factors as risk perception.  215.  However, problems still plague the system. For instance, along with an emerging trend of 
transition to open account, many importers still require L/Cs such that a dual, costly and complex 
system still prevails, putting an added burden on ex porters. The cost of L/Cs has been on the rise 
for buyers, and banks that tightened or restricted lending with the onset of the crisis have not 
resumed their prior level of lending. It can be said that the decline has been greater than perhaps 
justified by fundamentals or risk profile. Evidently, this financing gap has adversely affected our export performance. The loss of liquidity has forced a resort by the exporters to spot foreign 
exchange for making necessary payments, resultin g in an increasing demand of already stressed 
foreign exchange and further compounding problems . We look forward to WTO’s continued interest 
and action in this area.  
 
 
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