At a meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on 24 March, WTO members considered a request from China for the establishment of a dispute panel to review the European Union’s countervailing duties on new battery electric vehicles from China.

24 March 2025

Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with China concerning Chinese measures that impose additional import duties on certain agricultural and fishery products from Canada. The request was circulated to WTO members on 24 March.

24 March 2025

A WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for the Caribbean commenced on 17 March in Trinidad and Tobago, bringing together 21 government officials from 13 developing WTO members and observers in the region. The training programme is being carried out in partnership with the University of West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Campus. It is due to conclude on 9 May.

24 March 2025

WTO members continued talks on how to proceed on the long overdue review of the implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). At a meeting of the TRIPS Council on 20-21 March, members were also updated on notifications under various provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. In addition, they had an extensive discussion on technology transfer to least-developed countries (LDCs). Mme Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand, Permanent Delegate of France, was elected as Chair of the Council for the coming year.

21 March 2025

Pakistan deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 20 March. Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain presented Pakistan’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

20 March 2025

WTO members adopted the Sixth Review of the Operation and Implementation of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) at a meeting of the SPS Committee on 19-20 March. They also noted the record number of SPS notifications from developing economies received in 2024. Sixty trade concerns were addressed during the meeting, including six new trade concerns.

20 March 2025

Colombia deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 19 March. Ambassador Mauricio Alberto Bustamante García presented Colombia’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

19 March 2025

WTO members commended on 19 March efforts undertaken by Ethiopia to galvanize its WTO accession negotiations after an impasse of five years. At the 5th meeting of the Working Party on the country’s accession, the Ethiopian delegation said it was ready to work with members to conclude the accession process by the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) that will take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in March 2026.

19 March 2025

WTO members considered the following regional trade agreements (RTAs) at the 18 March meeting of the Committee on RTAs: the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, the Free Trade Agreement between China and Nicaragua, and the Free Trade Agreement between China and Cambodia. The Committee elected Ambassador José Valencia of Ecuador as the new Chairperson at the close of the meeting.

18 March 2025

At a meeting on the Work Programme on E-commerce on 18 March 2025, WTO members shared regional and national experiences with digitalization as well as efforts to enhance the e-commerce environment through technology transfer. Members explored the role the WTO can play in bridging the digital divide and advancing digital industrialization.

18 March 2025