Proposal about WTO dispute settlement reform submitted by India and EU members

India along with the European Union and other members have recently submitted a proposal on reform of the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism to address various challenges, Parliment was informed Monday. There has been an impasse in the matter of the Appellate Body's members selection, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

The robust mechanism of the WTO ensures that the rules of global trade agreed at the forum are not breached by members, he said. "India has recently co-sponsored a proposal with the European Union and other members on reform of the dispute settlement mechanism addressing various challenges," he said.

The proposal, he said, addresses various imperative issues of timelines, the appointment process of the appellate body members, their tenure and other conditions, so that the body and the mechanism work more efficiently. The dispute settlement mechanism is an important arm of the WTO (World Trade Organisation) to resolve trade disputes among member nations. The appellate body is the apex institution to adjudicate disputes. The decrease in serving members is likely to cause further delays in appellate proceedings. India along with other members have time and again raised concerns on the matter.

(With inputs from agencies.)