Europaudvalget 2018-19 (1. samling)
EUU Alm.del Bilag 73
Offentligt
1958950_0001.png
2018 ANNUAL SESSION OF THE
PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON THE WTO
WTO- the way forward
Geneva, 6-7 December 2018
Organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament
(WTO Headquarters, Room CR1)
PRELIMINARY DRAFT OUTCOME DOCUMENT
Submitted by Mrs. Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández (European Parliament)
Parliaments are invited to submit their amendments to the draft in writing to the IPU
Secretariat by 15 November 2018. The Conference Steering Committee will review
the proposed amendments at its pre-Conference session on 6 December and
elaborate a revised draft, to be submitted for adoption by the Conference as a whole
at its concluding sitting on 7 December 2018.
1.
The WTO has since its creation played a pivotal role in strengthening multilateralism,
establishing an inclusive world economic order and promoting an open, rules-based and
non-discriminatory multilateral trading system. We remain convinced that a fair and equitable
international trading system, based on free and fair trade for the benefit of all, helps foment global
economic growth and sustainable economic development, creating jobs and ensuring welfare. We
need to shape globalization with global rules, making sure that it is for the benefit of all countries
and citizens.
2.
However, the rules-based multilateral trading system is facing its deepest crisis since the
creation of the WTO, with its negotiating function almost stalled, looming trade wars and the
appointment of new members on the Appellate Body being blocked. This threatens the basic
functions of the organization in setting essential rules and structure for international trade and in
delivering the most effective and developed dispute settlement mechanism of any multilateral
organization.
3.
The crisis could deepen further in the coming months if more unilateral measures are
threatened and imposed, and the stalemate at the Appellate Body, which can only function in its
current setting until December 2019, remains. We therefore urge all Members to fully respect the
rules of the WTO, while urgently finding a solution for the dispute settlement mechanism, for
example through proposing transitional rules for outgoing members or maximum times allowed
before the publication of a report, guaranteeing its independence while ensuring that rulings remain
within the rights and obligations of the Appellate Body.
4.
We further believe that it is a matter of urgency to proceed to the modernization of the WTO
in the light of the latest developments, and to fundamentally review several aspects of the
functioning of the WTO with a view to increasing both its effectiveness and its legitimacy. This
includes: 1) a more flexible, yet inclusive, negotiating process, addressing gaps in the rulebook
leading to distortion; 2), making sure that the WTO is ready to meet the challenges of the
st
21 century trade realities and at the same time tackling the outstanding issues of the Doha
Development Agenda, such as finding a permanent solution for public stockholding; 3) reinforcing
the monitoring role of the WTO through empowered and more streamlined committees and a
reinforced secretariat, as well as its capacity to provide incentives for compliance with the WTO
rules.
5.
Technological development provides for new opportunities for international trade and has
the potential to substantially reduce the costs of transactions, but it will also fundamentally change
the way we trade. We are still in the early phases of transformation where digitalization, robots,
 EUU, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 73: Invitation til WTO-konference i Genève 6-7/12-18
1958950_0002.png
Preliminary draft outcome document
2.
artificial intelligence, the internet of things and 3D printing will revolutionize how we produce, work,
move and consume. We need to make sure that the global trading system is ready to face this
new reality, with policies that really benefit the people, and with sufficient investment in
infrastructure, especially in developing countries.
6.
We fully believe that trade has to play an important role in contributing to the achievement
of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as to the implementation of the Paris
Agreement, which is crucial in the fight against climate change. Beyond the negotiations on
fisheries subsidies, the WTO must now define more concrete actions that need to be taken in order
to do so. We firmly believe WTO agreements should help preserve and promote high social and
environmental standards globally.
7.
As expressed in SDG5, there are established links between gender equality and inclusive
development. Women’s
empowerment is key to the
eradication of poverty and removing barriers to
women’s participation in trade is critical
for economic development. We welcome the increased
focus of the WTO on issues related to trade and gender, and encourage all 121 signatories to
the 2017 Buenos Aires Declaration
on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment
to deliver on
their commitments.
8.
We call on WTO members to ensure democratic legitimacy and transparency by
strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the WTO, establishing a formal working relationship
with the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO. In this regard, we stress the need to ensure that
parliamentarians have better access to deliberations and are involved in the shaping and
implementation of WTO decisions, and that trade policies are properly scrutinized in the interests of
their citizens.