The Trade Policy Review Mechanism

The WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism, which reviews the trade policies and practices of each WTO member at regular intervals, is generally considered to function well. In this day and age, complacency is unwise. Examining trade policy reviews throughout the lifetime of the TPRM, this work details its evolution from Article X of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to the proposed modifications resulting from the mechanism's latest appraisal, examining the budgetary capabilities and technical performance of all the main entities who participate in the reviews.

Trade Policy Reviews analyze the trade policies and practices of every member of the World Trade Organization. As well as analyzing by sector and by trade measure, the reports also look into the country's wider economic environment. The reviews consist of three main parts: an independent report by the WTO secretariat, a report by the government, and the concluding remarks by the chair of the WTO's Trade Policy Review Body following discussion of the review by the WTO membership. A key trade facts section at the front of the review provides a handy visual overview of the country's major exports/imports, its main export destinations, the main countries of origin for its imports and other key economic data. Each Trade Policy Review consists of three parts: a report by the government under review, a report written independently by the WTO Secretariat, and the concluding remarks by the chair of the Trade Policy Review Body. A highlights section provides an overview of key trade facts. 15 to 20 new review titles are published each year. The reviews consist of detailed chapters examining the trade policies and practices of the member and describing trade policy-making institutions and the macroeconomic situation; these chapters are preceded by the Secretariat's Summary Observations, which summarize the report and presents the Secretariat's perspective on the member's trade policies. The Secretariat report and the member's policy statement are published after the review meeting, along with the minutes of the meeting and the text of the Chairperson's Concluding Remarks.

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) was established in 1989 during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Now a responsibility of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which replaced the GATT, the TPRM provides mutual surveillance of WTO members' trade policies. Such surveillance provides information on the trade practices of all countries and establishes a forum within which members can question one another's policies.

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism, a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is designed to contribute to improving adherence by all WTO members to rules, disciplines, and commitments made under the Multilateral Trade Agreement. This volume in the series provides information on the trade policies, practices, and macroeconomic situations of the United States. Each Trade Policy Review is expertly prepared after in-depth analysis of an individual nation by the WTOs Trade Policy Review Board.

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism, a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is designed to contribute to improving adherence by all WTO members to rules, disciplines, and commitments made under the Multilateral Trade Agreement. This volume in the series provides information on the trade policies, practices, and macroeconomic situations of the United States. Each Trade Policy Review is expertly prepared after in-depth analysis of an individual nation by the WTO's Trade Policy Review Board.

Surveillance of national trade policies is a fundamentally important activity running throughout the work of the WTO. At the centre of this work is the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM). The reviews take place in the Trade Policy Review Body which is actually the WTO General Council--comprising the WTO's full membership--operating under special rules and procedures. The reviews are therefore essentially peer-group assessments, although much of the factual leg-work is done by the WTO Secretariat. The reports consist of detailed chapters examining the trade policies and practices of the Member and describing trade policymaking institutions and the macroeconomic situation; these chapters are preceded by the Secretariat's Summary Observations, which summarize the report and presents the Secretariat's perspective on the Member's trade policies.

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism, a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is designed to contribute to improving adherence by all WTO members to rules, disciplines, and commitments made under the Multilateral Trade Agreement. Each Trade Policy Review describes the trade policies, policy-making institutions, practices, and macroeconomic situations of a featured country, and is expertly prepared after in-depth analysis of an individual nation by the WTO's Trade Policy Review Board.

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism, a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is designed to contribute to improving adherence by all WTO members to rules, disciplines, and commitments made under the Multilateral Trade Agreement. This volume in the series provides information on the trade policies, practices, and macroeconomic situations of Turkey. Each Trade Policy Review is expertly prepared after in-depth analysis of an individual nation by the WTO's Trade Policy Review Board.