IASNOVA
Most important ones based on trends are with Red colour heading, others with Green heading.
Subsidies
This refers to any direct or indirect payments made, or revenues foregone (e.g. tax exemptions), by governments as a result of laws or measures requiring such actions in order to support the production, manufacture, or trade of goods and services.
Amber box subsidies
This refers to subsidies that support the prices or the production of agricultural products which have to be reduced or eliminated under the Agreement o Agriculture.
Green box subsidies
This refers to that category of agricultural subsidies that are government-funded and do not involve price support. Under the AoA, these subsidies are given the “green light” in that they need not be reduced or eliminated.
Blue box subsidies
This refers to subsidies or direct payments to agricultural producers that are provided by WTO Members under the Agreement on Agriculture .Such payments must be part of programs aimed at limiting agricultural production and must also meet certain specified production-related criteria. These payments do not need to be reduced or eliminated.
Agreement on Agriculture (AoA)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that covers and sets out trade rules governing the trade of agricultural products across national borders.
Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that sets out the rules under which WTO Members may establish and apply sanitary and phytosanitary measures that could directly or indirectly affect international trade in goods.
Agreement on Subsidies an Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that sets out the rules under which WTO Members may provide and apply subsidies for domestic products or impose countervailing measures on subsidized imported products.
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that sets out the rules under which WTO Members may establish and apply technical regulations and standards, including packaging, marking and labeling requirements, as well as the procedures for assessment of whether domestic and imported goods comply with such technical regulations and standards.
Anti-dumping (AD) measure
This is a governmental action that seeks to stop and remedy the dumping of imported goods into the WTO Member’s territory.
Appellate Body (AB)
This is the seven-member body established by the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) under the
Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) to hear and resolve appeals made by WTO Members from recommendations in dispute settlement cases made by dispute settlement panels. The members of the Appellate Body serve four-year terms, with one possible reappointment, and are supposed to be persons who are considered as experts in international trade law. In effect, the Appellate Body serves as the Supreme Court for the WTO. Decisions of the Appellate Body are called “reports” and may uphold, modify or reverse the findings of the panels. These Appellate Body reports are normally automatically adopted by the DSB and unconditionally accepted by WTO Members unless the DSB decides by consensus not to adopt the report within 30 days from its circulation to the WTO Members.
Applied tariffs
These are tariffs that are actually being applied by WTO Members on imported products. These could be equal to or lower than, but cannot be more than, bound tariffs.
Bound tariffs
These refer to the tariffs specified by WTO Members in their schedule of concessions as the maximum level of tariffs that they can apply to imported products as part of their WTO obligations.
Cairns Group
This is a grouping of seventeen WTO Members established during the Uruguay Round that promotes trade liberalization in trade in agricultural products. It includes: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Fiji, Guatemala, Indonesia ,Malaysia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Uruguay.
Circumvention:
WTO Def. Getting around commitments in the WTO, such as commitments to limit agricultural export subsidies. Includes avoiding quotas and other restrictions by altering the country of origin of a product; and measures taken by exporters to evade anti-dumping or countervailing duties.
Codex Alimentarius:
FAO/WHO commission that deals with international food safety standards.
Councils and Committees -
Committee on Agriculture(CoA)
This is the WTO committee that, in its regular sessions, oversees the implementation of the Agreement on Agriculture. Negotiations for further trade liberalization in trade in agricultural goods under Article 20 AoA are conducted by this committee through special sessions. Membership in the committee is open to representatives of all WTO Members.
Committee on Trade and Development (CTD or COMTD)
This is the WTO committee that, in its regular sessions, reviews the implementation of the provisions of the various Uruguay Round agreements in favor of least-developed countries. In its special sessions, the committee is supposed to negotiate on how to operationalise and make effective the various special and differential treatment provisions in favor of developing countries contained in the various Uruguay Round agreements; and to discuss the new Doha issue of how to increase the integration of small economies into the multilateral trade system. Membership in the committee is open to representatives of all WTO Members
Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE)
This is the WTO committee that was created under the 1994 Uruguay Round Ministerial Decision on Trade and Environment. It is intended to be the WTO body tasked to identify the relationship between trade measures and environmental measures in order to promote sustainable development, and to make recommendations to the WTO on whether changes in the provisions of the various Uruguay Round agreements are needed in light of such relationship. It originally did not have any negotiating mandate but, as a result of the Doha Ministerial Declaration (DMD), it was mandated to conduct negotiations, through special sessions, on various trade and environment-related issues under Paragraph 31(i), (ii), and (iii) of the DMD. Membership in the committee is open to representatives of all WTO Members.
Council on Goods (Goods Council)
This is the WTO council that oversees the implementation of the various Uruguay Round agreements relating to trade in goods – i.e. those agreements annexed to the WTO Agreement as Annex1A. Membership in the council is open to representatives of all WTO Members.
Council on Trade in Services (CTS)
This is the WTO council that oversees the implementation of the General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS) annexed to the WTO Agreement as Annex 1B. Membership in the council is open to
representatives of all WTO Members.
Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Council)
This is the WTO council that oversees the implementation of the Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) annexed to the WTO Agreement as Annex 1C. Membership in the council is open to representatives of all WTO Members.
Countervailing measure (CVM)
Also known as “countervailing duty”, this refers to a special duty or tax imposed by an importing country on an imported product for the purpose of offsetting any subsidies provided in the exporting country, directly or indirectly, for the making, production, or export of the product.
Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)
This is the WTO body tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) and the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO. Membership in the DSB is open to representatives of all WTO Members.
Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that sets out the rules under which WTO Members can initiate and maintain dispute settlement proceedings against other WTO Members, with the objective of having such other WTO Members correct any actions that they may have taken in violation of their WTO obligations. Dispute settlement proceedings can be brought under the DSU for violations of any WTO obligation provided for under the Uruguay Round agreements.
Doha Development Agenda (DDA)
This is the official term being used by the WTO Secretariat and by those WTO Members who are in favor of further trade liberalization to describe the package of negotiations currently being undertaken under the terms of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.
Doha issues (asked in previous Prelims exam)
These are the new issues that have been placed on the WTO’s discussion agenda as a result of the Doha Ministerial Declaration. These issues are to be discussed by two new working groups and by the
General Council (through the CTD in special sessions), and include the following: (i) the relationship between trade, debt, and finance to be handled by the Working Group on Trade, Debt, and Finance; (ii) the relationship between trade and transfer of technology to be handled by the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology; and (iii) issues relating to the trade of small economies to be handled by the General Council, through the CTD in special sessions.
Dumping
This occurs when a product is exported to other countries at a price that is less than what its price would be if it (or a comparable or similar product) were to be sold domestically in the exporting country.
Eco-labeling
This refers to packaging or labeling requirements that indicate the environmental origin, performance, or characteristics of a particular product.
Environmental goods
The WTO still does not have a clear definition of what constitutes “environmental goods.” Currently, the working classification being used in the negotiations on market access for non-agricultural goods has been an informal and non-exhaustive listing of industrial products or technologies that can: (i) prevent pollution (such as air pollution filters); (ii) measure pollution (such as air pollution meters); or (iii) remedy pollution or other environmental damage (such as oil spill booms).
Environmental services
The current working definition of “environmental services” being used in the WTO is that contained in the W/120 GATS classification list, which classifies as “environmental services” the following sectors:
sewage services, refuse disposal services, sanitation and similar services, cleaning of exhaust gases, noise abatement services, nature and landscape protection services.
Free trade
In WTO lingo, this would be the final result of progressive trade liberalization, and would be characterized by a trading regime in which there are tariffs are zero and there are no non-tariff barriers or technical barriers to trade.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1947 (GATT 1947)
This is the original agreement drafted in 1947 that was supposed to form part of the 1947 Havana Charter that would have created the International Trade Organization (ITO) as a sister institution to the World Bank and the IMF. The failure of the United States to ratify the 1947 Havana Charter caused the ITO to be still-born. Pending the creation of a new international institution that would administer it, GATT 1947 was, instead, adopted and applied by countries on provisional basis from 1947 to 1994 through so-called “Protocols of Provisional Accession.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that serves as the successor to GATT 1947.
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that lays down the rules under which international trade in services may take place among WTO Members.
General Council (GC)
This is composed of Geneva-based representatives of all WTO Members, meeting frequently in the WTO headquarters in Geneva. It performs the functions of the Ministerial Conference as the highest policy- and decision-making body of the WTO in the period between meetings of the Ministerial Conference, and also essentially carries out day-to-day policy- and decision-making functions.
Green room process
This refers to meetings of representatives of a limited number of WTO Members in order to work out an agreement among themselves, and then present such agreement to the broader WTO membership for general acceptance.
Intellectual property rights (IPRs)
These refer to rights that accrue to the creator of an intellectual property, including: copyrights, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs, patents, lay-out designs of integrated circuits, and undisclosed commercial information or data.
Market access
This refers to the extent – depending on the level of tariffs and non-tariff barriers – to which a country permits imported products to enter its territory and be sold or consumed in competition with domestic products.
Ministerial Conference (MC)
This is the highest policy- and decision-making body of the WTO, composed of the trade ministers of all WTO Members, and meets at least every two years.
Modes of supply of services
These are the ways in which trade in services can take place – i.e. the ways in which a service is supplied to the consumer.
Under the GATS, there are four modes of supply of services:
(i) Mode 1 (cross-border supply);
(ii) Mode 2 (consumption abroad);
(iii) Mode 3 (commercial presence);
(iv) Mode 4 (movement of natural persons)
Most Favored Nation treatment (MFN)
This means that WTO Members are normally required not to prefer or favor one or some WTO Member over other WTO Members. There should be equal treatment in terms of market access for goods, services, service suppliers, and IPRs coming from other WTO Members regardless of origin. This is reflected in Article I of GATT 1994, Article II of GATS, and Article 4 of the TRIPS Agreement.
Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)
These refer to international intergovernmental treaties or agreements among countries that pursue or promote environmental protection or conservation objectives and provide for varies degrees of binding obligations.
Multilateral Trade System (MTS)
This refers to the global system of international, regional and bilateral institutions and rules governing international trade in goods, services, and IPRs.
National Treatment (NT)
This refers to the obligation to treat domestic and imported goods, services, service suppliers, investments, and IPRs equally or in the same way.
Non-discrimination principle
This is the general term that covers both most favorednation treatment and national treatment.
Non-tariff barriers (NTBs)
These are measures that have trade-restrictive effects on trade in goods or services, but do not involve tariffs. These include technical barriers to trade and quantitative restrictions.
Preferential agreement:
Agreement or contract between two or more parties, under which special privileges are granted in relation to trade or customs, or matters of some other kind. Usually represents exceptions to a general rule.
Quantitative Restrictions (QRs)
These are trade measures that impose a quantitative limit or cap on the importation or exportation of specific goods. It includes import or export bans or embargoes, quotas, non-automatic licensing requirements, and voluntary export restraints.
Quota:
Trade control instrument that consists of limiting the amount of imports or exports of a specific product. Import or export licenses are the instruments that governments normally use to administer quotas. The WTO permits some quotas (e.g., tariff quotas) but not others. No Member may prohibit or restrict the amount or value of imports or exports.
Regionalization:
WTO Def. Recognition that an exporting region (part of a country or a border-straddling zone) is disease-free or pest-free (or has a lower incidence).
Rules of origin:
WTO Def. Laws, regulations and administrative procedures that Members apply to determine the country of origin of a product, service, or investment. Rules of origin vary from country to country and the customs authorities use them to determine whether a good (or tariff heading) qualifies for a tariff preference, is affected by an antidumping duty, or falls within a tariff quota, etc.
Sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS)
These are measures that are needed to protect human, animal, or plant life or health.
Sensitive products:
Intl. Trade Def. Products that are vulnerable or particularly susceptible to competition from imports.
Such products usually get longer terms for tariff reduction or elimination in trade agreements.
WTO Def. Agricultural products imported through tariff quotas and with smaller tariff cuts to provide some access to the market. Flexibility available for the agriculture of all the countries.
Special and differential treatment (S&D) (asked in previous prelims)
This refers to the principle that would provide developing countries with special privileges vis-à-vis compliance with WTO obligations in view of their different or lower state of economic development. This usually takes the form of exemptions from some WTO rules or else in the form of special trade rights (such as longer transition periods or lesser degrees of trade liberalization needed).
Singapore issues
These are the four issues identified in the Singapore Ministerial Conference in 1996 in which the WTO agreed to create four separate working groups to discuss the issues as part of the WTO’s work program. These four issues are: (iv) the relationship between trade and investment; (ii) the relationship between trade and competition policy; (iii) trade facilitation; and (iv) transparency in government procurement.
Tariffication
This refers to the conversion of non-tariff barriers to tariffs that would provide roughly the equivalent level of trade restrictions on imported products.
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
These refer to trade restrictions that are effectively caused by technical regulations or standards such as packaging or labeling requirements, certification requirements, sanitary or phytosanitary measures, testing requirements, health and safety regulations, product quality standards, etc.
Trade liberalization
This refers to the process of reducing or eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers, including technical barriers to trade and quantitative restrictions, in order to encourage international trade in goods and services (export and import of goods or services), with the ultimate objective of achieving free trade at a regional or global level.
Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS Agreement)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that, among others, makes the trade concepts of national treatment and most favoured nation treatment applicable to the protection, application, and use of IPRs. Any violation of the TRIPS Agreement can be brought for dispute settlement under the DSU. Like most other Uruguay Round agreements, this agreement is binding on all WTO Members.
Trade-related Investment Measures Agreement (TRIMS Agreement)
This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that covers and sets up rules under which the provisions of GATT 1994 requiring national treatment, prohibiting quantitative restrictions, and requiring transparency, are made applicable to measures that WTO Members may adopt or implement to encourage or regulate investments. Any violation of the TRIMS Agreement can be brought for dispute settlement under the DSU. Like most other Uruguay Round agreements, this agreement is binding on all WTO Members.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO):
Agency of the United Nations system that promotes the development and use of the international intellectual property system (patents, copyright, trademarks, designs (drawings and models), etc.) as a means of stimulating innovation and creativity. The WIPO is a forum that permits Member States to prepare and harmonize standards and practices designed to protect intellectual property rights; it also administers the systems for the international registration of marks, industrial designs and geographical indications, and an international system for the submission of patent applications.
World Trade Organization (WTO)
This is the international intergovernmental organization established as a result of the WTO Agreement. It came into being on 1 January 1995, and currently has 146 countries as members. It is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the various Uruguay Round agreements, including the WTO Agreement, in pursuit of trade liberalization and free trade and to serve as the permanent forum for multilateral trade negotiations at the global level.
