| Conferenza Rivoluzione liberale |
| Partito Radicale Marco
- 20 giugno 2000
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| PRIVATE WTO: Poor Nations Benefit From Dispute Mechanism -- Moore Developing countries are "making increasing use" of HYPERLINK "http://www.wto.org/" World Trade Organization dispute settlement procedures, according to WTO Director-General Mike Moore. Of the 201 dispute settlement cases brought to the attention of the WTO since its 1995 creation, 51 were brought by developing countries, Moore said in a HYPERLINK "http://www.bangkokpost.com/160600/160600_News23.html" Bangkok Post commentary. Of those, the most active members were India, Brazil, Argentina and Thailand, accounting for 23 of the cases. The number of cases filed under the WTO is a large increase from its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which saw 300 cases in its 47-year history. Moore said the increased demand is "a ringing endorsement by all member governments in the organization's ability to ensure countries respect their commitments." Through the WTO, a country can defend its rights to equal treatment by |
| all other members, no matter how much larger their economy is, he noted. The most-favored-nation principle holds that any member government must give the same treatment to all other members that it gives to any single member. In addition, the national treatment principle obligates governments to treat other members no worse than they treat their own domestic goods and service providers (Mike Moore, Bangkok Post, 16 Jun). The majority of dispute settlement cases have been brought by the WTO's largest economies, the United States and the European Union, with 60 and 50 cases respectively, according to a HYPERLINK "http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres00_e/pr180_e.htm" WTO release . They are also the most cited by other nations in their cases. Cases have covered a wide range of goods and some services, including alcohol, automobiles, buses, cement, coconut, coffee, computers, footwear, gasoline, leather, rice, scallops, steel and underwear (WTO release, 5 Jun). Only governments may bring cases at the WTO, b ut they do so to the benefit of businesses and consumers worldwide, since better trade behavior leads to more competition and variety of goods and services, better prices and greater technological innovation, Moore said. All of this enhances economic growth, which Moore sees as a way to help developing countries reduce poverty ( HYPERLINK "/unwire/archives/UNWIRE000619.cfm" l "10" UN Wire , 19 Jun). Moore said developing countries face "some serious constraints" in bringing cases, but in the WTO they have "as much clout" as wealthier nations. He also acknowledged that "the dispute settlement system is not perfect." He said it "has a number of flaws -- mainly concerning technical procedures" (Moore, Bangkok Post). |
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