Canada initiates WTO dispute complaint regarding US steel and aluminium duties
Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United States regarding the imposition by the United States of import duties on certain steel and aluminium products from Canada. The request was circulated to WTO members on 13 March.
Canada initiates WTO dispute complaint regarding US tariff measures
Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United States regarding new tariff measures applied by the United States on goods originating in Canada. The request was circulated to WTO members on 5 March.
China files revised dispute consultations request with United States on tariff measures
China has submitted a revised request for dispute settlement consultations with the United States to address new US tariff measures applied on goods originating in China. The revised request was circulated to WTO members on 5 March.
Panel to examine measures adopted by Türkiye targeting Chinese electric vehicle imports
At a meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on 24 February, WTO members agreed to a request from China for the establishment of a dispute panel to review measures adopted by Türkiye concerning electric vehicles and certain other types of vehicles originating in China. The DSB also adopted a panel ruling in a dispute initiated by Indonesia regarding the European Union’s measures concerning palm oil and oil palm crop-based biofuels.
Guatemala formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
Guatemala deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 10 March. Ambassador Eduardo Ernesto Sperisen-Yurt presented Guatemala’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Guatemala's instrument of acceptance brings to 92 the total number of WTO members that have formally accepted the Agreement. Nineteen more formal acceptances are needed for the Agreement to come into effect. The Agreement will enter into force upon acceptance by two-thirds of the membership.
Adopted by consensus at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva on 12-17 June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world's fish stocks. In addition, the Agreement recognizes the needs of developing economies and least-developed countries and establishes a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity building to help them implement the obligations. The Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas.
Mauritius Customs strengthens its Rules of Origin competency
Under the framework of the EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme, funded by the European Union, the World Customs Organization, in partnership with Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA), held an advanced training workshop on rules of origin for Mauritius Customs.
The workshop was held in Port Louis, Mauritius, from 3 to 7 March 2025 with the objective to assist Mauritius Customs in enhancing its knowledge and application of preferential rules of origin and contribute to a seamless implementation of the AfCFTA and other relevant FTAs.
This workshop builds on the acquis from an intermediate training conducted in 2023 and forms part of a comprehensive technical assistance and capacity building partnership with MRA, which also includes the recent launch of the e-Tariff and Origin Tool in January 2025.
A-CIP Programme Annual Coordinators Meetings focuses on Sustaining Customs integrity
The WCO Anti-Corruption & Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme held its annual coordinators meeting at the WCO headquarters in Brussels on 5-6 March 2025. This gathering marked a significant milestone as the Programme enters its last phase under its current schedule that enjoys funding from Norway (via the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) till September this year. The meeting was opened by the WCO Deputy Secretary General Ricardo Treviño, who expressed hope for future donor support and highlighted commitment to a renewed drive and boost for integrity through the WCO’s new strategy.
The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on key achievements since the A-CIP Programme’s initiation in 2019, detailing the concrete changes achieved within the 16 current partner administrations. Country-level A-CIP projects were shown to have delivered measurable results and have fostered greater transparency and integrity within Customs. These achievements are a testament to the relevance and impact of the WCO Revised Arusha Declaration on their integrity efforts. More on these specific achievements can be seen in A-CIP testimonials, latest annual report, and throughout the WCO integrity news.
10-year anniversary of the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme marked by the announcement of additional funding to extend the programme
As the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2025, the United Kingdom has announced the allocation of approximately 1 million euro in additional funding for the World Customs Organization (WCO) to extend the programme until March 2026.
The programme, which was launched in 2015, is a partnership between the WCO, the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It aims to ease the cross-border movement of goods and enhance public-private collaboration through the implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
Revamped WTO tariff and trade platform enhances access to data
WTO Tariff & Trade Data, an online platform providing enhanced access to official tariff and trade figures for over 150 economies, was launched on 4 March. The database — currently in its beta version for preliminary release —includes bilateral trade datasets, time series views, and reports on export and import patterns by product and trade partner. It was presented to WTO members at an informal meeting of the Committee on Market Access, which defines and administers the dissemination policy of the databases.
https://ttd.wto.org/en
Somalia begins WTO accession process
WTO members expressed support for Somalia's efforts to become a member of the organisation and praised its government's commitment to advancing the accession process. At the first meeting of the Somalia Accession Working Group on 17 February, the Somali delegation stressed that accession to the WTO would be fundamental to boosting economic growth and raising living standards.
Ethiopia resumes accession negotiations with target of WTO membership by MC14
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.
WTO: Items proposed for consideration at the next meeting of Dispute Settlement Body
The WTO Secretariat has circulated a meeting notice and list of items proposed for the next meeting, on 24 March 2025, of the Dispute Settlement Body, which consists of all WTO members and oversees legal disputes among them. The meeting notice is circulated in the form of a document officially called an “airgram”.